The quarterfinals 2025 ATP Rome Masters will be played on Thursday, May 15 as Jannik Sinner leads the charge. You can get the best predictions and tips for the day from this tournament here.
Jannik Sinner v Casper Ruud
Jannik Sinner leads Casper Ruud 3–0 in their head-to-head, with all three victories coming on hard courts at the 2020 & 2021 Vienna Open and the 2024 ATP Finals.
They have never met on clay, making their Italian Open quarter-final the first clay-court chapter in their rivalry.
As a player, Sinner epitomizes the aggressive baseliner. He strikes the ball as hard as anyone on tour, with his two-handed backhand generating more topspin than any peer (averaging 1,858 rpm) and carrying fifth-best speed at 111.2 km/h.
By contrast, Ruud is the archetypal clay-court specialist: an offensive baseliner who leans on a heavy-topspin forehand to dictate points and a reliable, if weaker, backhand to construct rallies. His serve, which can touch 193 km/h, and his composed on-court demeanor round out a game built for red dirt.
On clay, Sinner has already proven his mettle by reaching the semifinal of Roland Garros in 2024 and having done well already in this tournament.
Ruud’s résumé on the surface is even more towering: 12 of his 13 career titles have come on clay, and he has emerged as one of the tour’s most relentless movers and grinders on red dirt.
In 2025, Sinner has been untouchable, compiling a 10-0 tour match record to begin the season and extending his overall unbeaten run to 24 matches with a straight-sets win over Francisco Cerúndolo in Rome.
Ruud arrives in peak form after capturing his maiden Masters 1000 crown in Madrid—defeating Jack Draper in the final—and riding a nine-match winning streak on clay into this quarter-final.
Tactically, Sinner will look to seize early control with his heavy groundstrokes and overpower Ruud’s backhand, while Ruud must exploit his depth and spin to draw errors and open the court. With Sinner’s raw firepower pitted against Ruud’s clay-court guile, this promises to be as much a mental battle as a physical one.
Sinner v Ruud Tip: Sinner to win in straight sets: 4/5
Tommy Paul v Hubert Hurkacz
Their ATP head-to-head reads 2–1 in Tommy Paul’s favour. Hubert Hurkacz’s lone victory came in the second round of the 2021 Paris Masters, while Paul reversed the tide with wins at the 2023 Miami Open and on the clay of Rome in 2024.
Hurkacz is an all-court operator, standing 1.96 m tall and armed with a 151 mph serve, a dependable two-handed backhand and serve-and-volley instincts that often catch opponents off guard.
Paul, by contrast, thrives on an aggressive forehand baseline assault, underpinned by swift footwork and a readiness to finish points at the net.
This season, Hurkacz arrives in Rome with a 10–8 win–loss record on the ATP Tour, yet has flourished here with three wins from four matches on clay.
Paul is 20–7 overall in 2025, featuring a semifinal run in Houston where he beat Colton Smith 6-1, 7-6(1) and a fourth-round showing at the Madrid Masters.
Tactically, the question is whether Hurkacz’s net-rushing and varied spin can disrupt Paul’s heavy groundstrokes, or if Paul’s speed and forehand pressure will keep Hurkacz off balance. Expect long rallies broken by sudden attacks at the net.
Paul v Hurkacz Tip: Three sets in the match: 6/5
