Italian Open 2024: Holger Rune vs Luca Nardi preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (10) Holger Rune vs Luca Nardi
Date: May 11, 2024
Tournament: Italian Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize money: £7,877,020
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+
Holger Rune vs Luca Nardi preview
Holger Rune will open his 2024 Italian Open campaign with a second-round encounter against home hope Luca Nardi on Sunday (May 12).
Rune, the 10th seed at this year’s tournament, has had a solid claycourt season so far, having made the quarterfinals at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the semifinals at the Bavarian International. He has wins over the likes of Grigor Dimitrov to show for, but an early exit in Madrid did halt his progress.
The Dane’s 18-10 win-loss record for the season holds him in good stead, but he will be keen to improve it further here in Rome.
For Nardi, 2024 has been a bit of a weird season. He has gone from competing at challengers to beating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to going back to the lower rung in search of match wins.
He did not have any main-draw victories on clay coming into Rome, but was clinical in his 6-4, 6-4 dismissal of Daniel Altmaier in the first round. The win helped him bring his win-loss for the season at par 3-3, but he will be still be a darkhorse coming into the second round.
Holger Rune vs Luca Nardi head-to-head
The two have not crossed paths on the tour before this, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Holger Rune vs Luca Nardi odds
(Odds to be updated)
Holger Rune vs Luca Nardi prediction
Given the recent run of form and the huge gulf in experience of playing at the highest level, Holger Rune will be the big favorite to win on paper. He, however, will have to be wary of his dogged opponent.
Luca Nardi enjoys playing on the clay and can go toe-to-toe with even the biggest hitters from the baseline. He even possesses a slight variety in his game that he uses to throw his opponents off-rhythm as was seen in the Indian Wells contest against Novak Djokovic.
That said, the poor 3-3 win-loss record fails to inspire confidence. The lack of match wins on the highest level may come back to haunt the Italian.
Rune also remains the more powerful player off the ground and has great footwork on the surface. He will be up against a tricky opponent and a boisterous home crowd, but if he can keep his error count in check, the Dane should be able to power through.
Prediction: Holger Rune to win in three sets