Tomáš Macháč upset pre-match favourite Stéfanos Tsitsipás 6–4, 7–6 at the Rome Masters on clay in the first round. Despite entering as the betting favourite at 1.61 odds, Tsitsipás could not convert his seeding advantage, falling to the Czech player who capitalised on his opportunities in both sets, notably forcing a tiebreak in the second before closing it out. The result marks a significant scalp for Macháč on the Masters 1000 circuit and suggests improved form heading deeper into the tournament.