This content was published 3 years ago. It may refer to a past edition of the Internazionali d’Italia.

All top seeds survived the first day of qualification at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia 2021 and will be fighting for a spot in the main draw tomorrow. Yet, a few exciting matches spiced up this tennis premiere at the Foro Italico ahead of tomorrow’s start of round 1 matches.

On the ATP side, top seed Cameron Norrie confired his great form and sailed past the always tricky Pablo Cuevas in little more than one hour . For a spot on the main draw, he will have to face Marco Cecchinato. The 2018 Roland Garros semifinalist came out on top a three-set battle with Egor Gerasimov late in the day.

A very short match featured also the second seed, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who benefit from the retirement early in the second set of his young Italian opponent Flavio Cobolli. The talented Spaniard will be now facing another youngster, Frenchman Corentin Moutet, who saved two set points en route to defeating local Wild Card Andrea Pellegrino in straight sets.

Two sets were also needed for most seeds of this men’s qualification draw to get past their first round, but not for Jaume Munar, who suffered an upset by the hands of Bolivian Hugo Dellien, 6-4 6-1. Same fate also for Tennys Sandgren, upset in straight sets by Roberto Carballes Baena. The American was the 6th seed and the highest ranked player to fall in this first day.

On the WTA qualification’s draw instead, numerous matched went to a decider and even though most seeds survived the day, it was not without strong emotions. This was the case of 2008 finalist Alize Cornet, who engaged a three-and-a-half-hour battle with Italian Giulia Gatto Monticone. The fourth seed came out of her first match in Rome with a 7-6(7) 6-7(4) 6-4 victory that tells how close this match was.

Three sets were also needed by Kristina Mladenovic and Ajla Tomljanovic, who respectively defeated Leonie Kueng and Tereza Martincova.

In one of the rare upsets of the day, 2014 finalist in this tournament Sara Errani dispatched Heather Watson in two sets: 6-3 6-2. Between the Italian and a spot in the Main Draw, there is now Polona Hercog, who took down another local Wild Card today, Lucia Bronzetti.