Masters Minute: Rome, 5/15

Tuesday's Play (First round, *Second round)

*(1) Djokovic d. Tomic, 6-3, 6-3

—Dan Markowitz's Racquet Reaction

*(4) Murray d. Nalbandian, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5

—Steve Tignor's Racquet Reaction

*(5) Tsonga d. Troicki, 6-3, 6-2

*(6) Ferrer d. Verdasco, 6-3, 7-6 (3)

(10) Del Potro d. Llodra, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4

(11) Simon d. Young, 6-2, 7-5

*Ferrero d. (13) Monfils, 7-5, 6-3

(14) Monaco d. Ungur, 6-2, 6-2

Granollers d. (15) Lopez, 6-4, 6-4

(16) Gasquet d. Melzer 6-1, 7-6 (6)

Garcia-Lopez d. Andujar, 6-4, 6-1

Kubot d. Starace, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2

Wednesday's Order of Play (Second round)

Granollers v. Fognini [Centrale]

—6 am EST.

—They’ve split two tight matches on clay and both looked sharp in their opening wins—Granollers swept 15th-seeded Feliciano Lopez, 6-4, 6-4, and Fognini broke five times in a 6-2, 6-2 win over Marcos Baghdatis. The 26th-ranked Spaniard is more emotionally stable and the better competitor, so he will have the edge if it's a long grind. But Fognini can open the court with his concise strokes, and though his interest ebbs and flows he was a 2011 Roland Garros quarterfinalist, so we’ll ride with the theatrical, unpredictable Italian here.

The Pick: Fognini

(3) Federer v. Berlocq [Centrale]

(2) Nadal v. Mayer [Centrale]

—Not before 1:30 pm EST.

(10) Del Potro v. Youzhny [Supertennis Arena]

—To follow a women's match, which begins at 5 am EST.

(16) Gasquet v. Lorenzi [Supertennis Arena]

(8) Tipsarevic v. Wawrinka [Supertennis Arena]

—Not before 1 pm EST.

—Playing bold shots down the line, Tipsarevic toppled top-ranked Novak Djokovic to reach the Madrid semifinals last week. The Serb typically takes the ball earlier than Wawrinka, but the 20th-ranked Swiss hits a slightly heavier shot, owns disruptive variety in his brilliant one-handed backhand, and was the Rome runner-up to Djokovic in 2008.

The Pick: Wawrinka

(7) Berdych v. Kubot [Pietrangeli]

—To follow two women's matches, which begin at 5 am EST.

(9) Isner v. Seppi [Pietrangeli]

—The 30th-ranked Italian has been on a roll, winning six of his last seven clay-court matches, and won his second career title in Belgrade last month. But Seppi has yet to win successive matches in eight prior Rome appearances. The 10th-ranked Isner possesses more power, has played some of his best tennis on dirt, and should be able to hit through the Italian counter-puncher.

The Pick: Isner

(14) Monaco v. Stepanek [Court 1]

—To follow a men's doubles match, which begins at 5 am EST.

(12) Almagro v. Querrey [Court 1]

(11) Simon v. Garcia-Lopez [Court 4]

—Not before 8 am EST.

TV Schedule

6:00 am - 3:30 pm: Rome (M), Early rounds (Tennis Channel, Live)
4:30 pm - 2:30 am: Rome (M), Early rounds (Tennis Channel, Repeat)