A walk in the park for the Russian?
Medvedev celebrated his first Masters victory on clay in the “Eternal City” in 2023, and now the Russian is aiming for his second title on the Tiber. First, however, he must secure his spot in the third round of the tournament, and we’re providing you with a tip for the match between Pablo Llamas Ruiz and Daniil Medvedev.
While the 2021 US Open champion is just starting his run at the “Internazionali BNL d’Italia,” his opponent from Andalusia already has four matches under his belt in Rome. The world No. 139 also had to go through qualifying, and his path at the tournament in the Italian capital has been rocky—he secured all of his wins at the 2026 Rome Masters only after three sets.
This gives “The Octopus” a clear physical advantage, and for the match between Pablo Llamas Ruiz and Daniil Medvedev, we’re predicting a 2-0 victory for the favorite. Furthermore, we don’t see any sets being decided by a tiebreak.
Pablo Llamas Ruiz – Daniil Medvedev Head-to-Head Record
The Spanish pro and the Muscovite are facing off for the first time. For the bookmakers, the matter is very clear, as the Pablo Llamas Ruiz vs. Daniil Medvedev odds point decisively toward a victory for the seven-time Masters winner.
Pablo Llamas Ruiz – Daniil Medvedev Prediction
The Russian’s clay-court season has been mixed so far. He was knocked out in the first round at the Monte Carlo tournament and only made it to the round of 16 in Madrid.
Nevertheless, we still see him as the clear favorite. While Medvedev is picking up a racket at the “Foro Italico” for the first time—since he didn’t have to play in the first round as a seeded player and his opponent in the second round had to withdraw due to injury—the Spaniard, as a qualifier, is now on the court for the fifth time.
His four matches so far have also taken a lot of extra energy, as he won each one only after three sets. Furthermore, the Spaniard is generally considered to be the weaker player compared to the Russian. So far, Ruiz has not won a single title on the ATP Tour and has only triumphed twice at the Challenger level.
Furthermore, this is Ruiz’s first-ever appearance in the third round of a Masters tournament. In contrast, the Russian, ranked No. 9 in the world, has already won the title in Rome once. Given this situation, we’re betting on the Russian to win in two sets in the match between Pablo Llamas Ruiz and Daniil Medvedev.
