Tomas Machac withdraws; Medvedev advances

Daniil Medvedev got one of the strangest kinds of wins in Rome — the kind where you never hit a ball. Tomas Machac pulled out of their second-round match on Saturday, May 9, because of illness, so Medvedev moved into the third round by walkover. That sounds simple, but it changes a lot. It alters the day’s schedule, gives Medvedev extra recovery time, and removes one of the more dangerous unseeded threats from his section of the draw. ### What exactly happened? Machac was scheduled to face Medvedev in the second round at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, but the ATP confirmed before play that the Czech player had withdrawn because of illness. That meant Medvedev advanced automatically, without playing a point, and the tournament had to reshuffle part of the order of play. (tennismajors.com) ### Why was Machac a real threat? Because this was not some routine early-round opponent. Machac had just beaten Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-6(4) in Rome, and ATP material for the event had framed the matchup as a serious test for Medvedev. Machac had also moved to 2-1 against Tsitsipas with that win, which tells you he arrived in Rome in decent shape before the illness stopped him. (tennismajors.com) ### Why does the walkover help Medvedev? Clay is usually the surface where Medvedev looks least comfortable, even though Rome gave him his only clay-court title back in 2023. In 2026, he had already gone out early in both of his clay events before Rome, so a free pass is not nothing. It saves energy, removes one upset risk, and gives him an extra day to settle into a tournament where he has real history. (atptour.com) ### Who does Medvedev play next? Instead of Machac, Medvedev moved on to face the winner of Corentin Moutet against Pablo Llamas Ruiz. That is a very different kind of third-round setup. Machac brought proven top-level shotmaking and recent momentum. Moutet or Llamas Ruiz would present different problems, but neither carried quite the same immediate danger on paper. (sports.yahoo.com) ### Did this affect the rest of the day? Yes — and this is the part people miss with withdrawals. Once Machac came out, Rome shifted matches around. Andrey Rublev’s match against Miomir Kecmanovic was moved up to Centre Court, and Moutet against Llamas Ruiz was moved to the SuperTennis Arena. So one illness changed more than one line on the draw sheet. (tennismajors.com) ### Why is Rome still important for Medvedev? Because this event is one of the last big checkpoints before Roland Garros, and Medvedev still has something to prove on clay in 2026. ATP notes for the tournament also flagged him as one of only two former champions left in the men’s field at that stage, alongside Alexander Zverev. That gives the run extra weight — Rome is not just preparation for him, it is one of the few clay events where he has already shown he can win the whole thing. (tennismajors.com) ### So what’s the real takeaway? Machac’s withdrawal was bad luck for him, but a real break for Medvedev. Basically, Medvedev skipped the most dangerous part of his opening week. In a tournament where timing, energy, and draw shape matter a lot, that kind of free advance can end up meaning more than a routine straight-sets win. (tennismajors.com) (atptour.com)