Italian Open 2026 Day Four Summary

Day four at the Foro Italico belonged to the underdogs and the home players. While Jannik Sinner looked to be the world No.1 with a comfortable straight-sets win, two significant upsets stole the spotlight: Mariano Navone took out fourth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime in two tight tiebreaks, and qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili upset fifth-seeded Ben Shelton in three sets.

The Italian contingent continued their strong showing, with Flavio Cobolli, Mattia Bellucci and qualifier Andrea Pellegrino all advancing. Pellegrino benefited from Arthur Fils pulling back from 4-0 down in the first set after requesting a medical timeout. I initially thought he was a repeat of the back problem that derailed his season 12 months ago, but he said in the press that it was the bumblebee.

Other notable results included Martin Landaluce beating Marin Cilic, Thiago Agustin Tirante beating Cameron Norrie and Hamad Medjedovic coming from a set down to defeat Joao Fonseca.

Overall, it was a tough day for the seeded players, with Norrie, Etcheverry, Moutet and Mensik also going out in the second round.

Full summary below.

Day four Italian Open 2026 round of 64 results

Key Match Recap

Jannik Sinner (1) def. Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-4

World No. 1 looked sharp and controlled on his Rome debut. Sinner was clinical from the baseline, committing very few errors and using his depth and power to dominate the Austrian. He extended his Masters 1000 winning streak to 29 matches and is closing in on the Career Golden Masters.

A very solid start on home soil and could well be one of the tougher matches he has this week as Ofner is not a bad clay player.

Mariano Navone def. Felix Auger-Aliassime (4) 7-6(4) 7-6(5)

One of today’s biggest results. Navone took his first ever Top 10 win by outlasting a physically struggling Auger-Aliassime in two tight tiebreaks. FAA seemed to have problems with his legs in the second set and was clearly hampered. Navone held steady and seized the opportunity.

Nikoloz Basilashvili (Q) def. Ben Shelton (5) 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3

A big upset and impressive performance from the Georgian. Basilashvili played with excellent intensity, capitalizing on 39 unforced errors from Shelton. This is just his second tour-level win of 2026 and his first top 10 win since 2025.

Basilashvili can go through periods when he’s on fire, like when he won Qatar and Munich back in 2021, and he’s played himself into form, so I wouldn’t really call it a bad loss for Shelton.

Flavio Cobolli (10) def. Terence Atmane 7-6(1) 6-3

Strong home performance from the No. 2 Italian. Cobolli handled the pressure well in the first set tiebreak and cruised through the second set. He will be pleased with how he backed up his strong start to the clay season.

Hamad Medjedovic def. João Fonseca (27) 3-6 6-3 7-6(1)

A dramatic, high-voltage match in the SuperTennis Arena. Medjedovic fought back from a set down and looked to close it out as he broke for 5-4 in the decider and served out the match. However, he made a costly mistake that handed the initiative back to Fonseca.

Serbia remained mentally strong and produced a stunning tiebreak to win 7-1. The crowd was heavily behind Fonseca, creating a loud, hostile atmosphere that led to Medjedovic asking the umpire to silence them so he could serve.

Rabid fans don’t add much to the sport to me, and they go way over the top. Behaved almost like paid agitators. Is Soros buying them tickets?

Highlights

Italian Open 2026 Day 5 round of 32 matches