Photo credit – Dallas Open at the Frisco Star
There is only one all-seeded matchup in the entire top half of the Rome draw on Monday, featuring Andrey Rublev and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The winner will face either Brandon Nakashima or Nikoloz Basilashvili.
(12) Andrey Rublev vs. (21) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Rublev and Davidovich Fokina will be facing each other for the eighth time in their careers when they meet again in round three of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Monday. It has been mostly one-way traffic for Rublev, who is dominating the head-to-head series 6-1. The Russian is 3-1 against Davidovich Fokina on clay, although the Spaniard won their most recent dirt contest 7-5, 6-4 last spring in Barcelona.
Rublev’s mastery of this matchup should continue. Consistency may not be there for the world No. 14, but he remains dangerous when he is playing with confidence — and he should be after beating Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday. As for Davidovich Fokina, he is a modest 11-8 this season after defeating Cristian Garin 7-6(2), 6-4 in the second round. The No. 21 seed would probably have to raise his level considerably to have any chance of turning the tide against his nemesis.
Pick: Rublev in 2
(30) Brandon Nakashima vs. (Q) Nikoloz Basilashvili
From pretty much out of nowhere, Basilashvili has made his way from qualifying into the last 32 in Rome. The 34-year-old Georgian basically disappeared from tennis in 2023 and 2024, even dropping out of the top 1000, but he resurfaced in the top 100 at the end of last season. Basilashvili’s best tournament so far in 2026 has come at the expense of Elmer Moller (in a third-set tiebreaker), Rinky Hijikata, Daniel Merida, and Ben Shelton (the first two in qualifying).
Up next for the former world No. 16 is a second showdown against Nakashima, who lost their only previous encounter 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3 at the Bordeaux Challenger 12 months ago. The 32nd-ranked American has not done much since a runner-up performance in Adelaide, but a 6-4, 6-0 rout of Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday was at least somewhat encouraging. Nakashima is the more rested and certainly the more solid player, so he should have the edge in this one.
Pick: Nakashima in 2