Lorenzo Musetti beat Francisco Cerundolo in two sets on Sunday at the 2026 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, and now he turns straight into one of the toughest clay-court tests in the draw. On Tuesday, Musetti was scheduled to face Casper Ruud in the Italian Open round of 16 in Rome, where the home favorite was listed as a +145 underdog on his own court.
The meeting was set up as the draw moved toward a midweek quarterfinal, with the Round of 16 beginning Tuesday and the pressure now shifting to a match that could shape the rest of the tournament for both men. A preview of Casper Ruud tests Lorenzo Musetti in Rome Masters round of 16 underscored how much form is on Ruud’s side: he has reached multiple French Open championship rounds, owns a 7-2 clay record in 2026 and is 92-29 on the surface since the beginning of 2022.
Ruud added another straight-sets win Sunday, beating Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4, and he had dropped only two sets since the beginning of April. That kind of run is why he arrives in Rome as one of the tour’s most reliable clay-court players, even if the setting favors Musetti and the crowd will be behind him from the start.
The rest of the bracket offers its own clues about how unforgiving this week can be. Karen Khachanov, who turns 30 next week, beat Alexander Shevchenko on Friday for his first clay win since the second round of last year’s French Open. Dino Prizmic, a 20-year-old Croat, is 42-11 on clay since the start of 2025 and has reached the ATP top 80 for the first time in his career. Rafael Jodar has a 14-2 clay record since his first match at Grand Prix Hassan II on March 31, with losses only to Jannik Sinner and Arthur Fils, while Learner Tien has been trending down since his Australian Open run in January.
That is the backdrop for Musetti’s night in Rome: a home-court chance against an opponent whose record on clay has made him a stubborn barrier across the biggest events on the calendar. The numbers point toward Ruud, but the setting gives Musetti the kind of match that can change the tone of a tournament in one evening.
