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Dusan Lajovic vs Lorenzo Sonego: ATP Rome – First round

Two experienced players will face each other in the first round of the ATP Rome.

Dusan Lajovic Profile

Dusan Lajovic is 64th in the ATP rankings, and his career high was No. 23 in the world. The Serbian is 11-11 for the season and 8-5 on clay courts.

Lajovic is coming off a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Thiago Monteiro in the first round in Madrid.

He had a solid performance in Barcelona, reaching the semifinals, where he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets. Previously, he defeated Arthur Fils, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Ugo Humber, and Diego Schwartzman.

Lajovic played quite well on clay on the South American tour, making it to the quarterfinals in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.

Lajovic made his debut in Rome in 2014; his best result was the round of 16 in 2020; and he lost in the opening round in the last three years.

Lorenzo Sonego Profile

Lorenzo Sonego is 47th in the rankings, and his career high was No. 21 in the world. The 28-year-old is 9-15 for the season and 5-6 on clay courts.

Sonego is coming off a round of 16 loss at the Cagliari Challenger to Emilio Nava.

The week before, he lost in the opening round in Bucharest to Joao Fonseca.

His best result of the season was the quarterfinal in Marrakech, where he lost to Matteo Berrettini.

Sonego made his debut in Rome in 2016, and his best result was the semifinal in 2021.

Head-to-Head Sonego leads 3-1

• Sonego vs Lajovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 (2023 ATP Stockholm, first round)
• Sonego vs Lajovic 6-4, 6-3 (2020 ATO Vienna, first round)
• Sonego vs Lajovic 7-6, 7-6 (2020 ATP Rio de Janeiro, round of 16)
• Lajovic vs Sonego 6-4, 7-5 (2019 ATP Monte Carlo, quarterfinal)

Prediction and Conclusion

Lorenzo Sonego is the one who won the last three matches against Dusan Lajovic, but the Serbian is the one who has had a better season. Lajovic made it to the semis in Barcelona, proving that he can be solid on clay. What these two players have in common is their lack of ability to be consistent throughout the entire match. Given the high stakes in Rome and their current form, this will be a tough battle that will last over 22.5 games in total.