Ignacio Buse is scheduled to face Lorenzo Sonego on Day 2 of the ATP Italian Open in Rome, a matchup that puts one of this season’s strongest clay-court risers against a home favorite trying to find his footing again. The tournament has 16 first-round matches on the schedule for Day 2.
Buse has played at a very high level on clay this season and came close to knocking out Arthur Fils in Madrid, a sign that his game is already troubling better-known opponents on the surface. Sonego, meanwhile, will make his 10th ATP Rome main draw appearance, a return that carries the weight of what he once did here and what he has not shown this year.
The context in Rome leans in different directions for each man. Sonego reached the semifinals in 2021 and will have home support behind him, but he has missed several tournaments this season because of injury and has not looked close to his usual self. That makes this an early test not just of ranking or reputation, but of whether he can still turn familiar conditions into an edge.
For Buse, the match is a chance to turn clay-court form into a result that travels. For Sonego, it is a chance to show that Rome still means something more than memory. The Italian Open often gives local players a runway, but it can also expose how much is missing when the body is not fully there.
