Machac, currently ranked world No. 53, had been scheduled to face Medvedev in one of the headline second-round contests at the Foro Italico. Instead, the 2023 Rome champion now advances directly and will face the winner of the clash between France\u2019s Corentin Moutet and Spain\u2019s Pablo Llamas Ruiz.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The late withdrawal also forced organisers to make several changes to Saturday\u2019s schedule. Andrey Rublev\u2019s encounter against Serbia\u2019s Miomir Kecmanovic was moved to Centre Court, while the Moutet-Llamas Ruiz fixture was shifted to the Supertennis Arena.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Meanwhile, action on Court 1 was rescheduled to begin at midday, with the match between Chile\u2019s Christian Garin and Spain\u2019s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina set for no earlier than 2:00 PM local time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For Medvedev, the walkover comes at a useful moment in an otherwise inconsistent clay-court season. The former world No. 1 has struggled to find rhythm on the surface in recent weeks, suffering a shocking first-round exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters after a one-sided defeat to Matteo Berrettini.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Russian showed some improvement at the Madrid Open 2026, winning two matches before losing to home favourite Flavio Cobolli in the fourth round. Medvedev, however, has previously enjoyed success in Rome, lifting the title in 2023. Since then, he has endured back-to-back fourth-round exits, losing to Tommy Paul in 2024 and Lorenzo Musetti last year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For Medvedev, the walkover comes at a useful moment in an otherwise inconsistent clay-court season. The former world No. 1 has struggled to find rhythm on the surface in recent weeks, suffering a shocking first-round exit at the Monte-Carlo Masters after a one-sided defeat to Matteo Berrettini.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Elsewhere in Sinner\u2019s quarter, young stars Jakub Mensik, Arthur Fils and Ben Shelton are among the players aiming to shake up the tournament. Should Medvedev reach the championship match, second seed Alexander Zverev is considered the most likely finalist from the opposite half of the draw.<\/p>\r\n\r\n