Passaro – Khachanov 11-05-2025

Is home hero Passaro ready for a new performance?

It's set for a match of high temperature and great contrasts when Francesco Passaro meets Karen Khachanov in the third round of the ATP Rome. With two wins in front of his home crowd in Rome, Passaro has already made headlines, but the opposition is now getting tougher. The question is whether the Italian breakthrough will get a third act, or whether Khachanov's routine will put an end to it.

Francesco Passaro

The 24-year-old from Perugia entered the main draw as an outsider, ranked 101st in the world. He opened the tournament with a win over Chun-Hsin Tseng and followed it up with a strong performance against Grigor Dimitrov, a result that must be considered the greatest of his career so far. In that match, he was both patient and aggressive at the right times, taking advantage of Dimitrov's defensive positioning on the clay.

Passaro is right-handed with a two-handed backhand and prefers to play on clay. He has good touch and likes to use drop shots to vary the rhythm of the game. It was clear in the match against Dimitrov that he has become more comfortable with pace and determination in the important points.

He has never been past the third round of a Masters before, and this is a big step, both mentally and physically. But he has the crowd with him and is playing his best tennis ever.

Karen Khachanov

The 28-year-old Khachanov has much more experience at this level. Ranked 24th in the world and holding a whopping 7 ATP titles, including a Masters 1000 in Paris, Khachanov is arguably one of the most physically robust players on the tour.

Khachanov is known for his heavy serve and powerful baseline play. While he is not as effective on clay as he is on hardcourt, he has still had good results on the surface, especially against lower-ranked players. He opened the Rome tournament with a win over Burruchaga and looked solid, if perhaps a little rusty in his footwork.

Against players who vary greatly in pace and force him to move a lot laterally, Khachanov can get impatient. He likes to dictate, and if Passaro can disrupt his rhythm, opportunities to keep the game even can arise.

Can the Rome crowd give Passaro more games against Khachanov?

This is a classic duel between power and variety. Khachanov will try to keep the points short, press with his backhand and dominate with his first serve. Passaro will likely be more comfortable in long points, especially if he can set up drop shots and get the crowd involved with every ball.

Passaro has proven himself to be a fighter in Rome, and with two matches under his belt on this surface he has rhythm and confidence. Khachanov is the favorite on paper, but against a form player with home court advantage this could easily go further than the odds suggest.

Khachanov has won most of his matches against lower-ranked players, but rarely by pure dominance, and Passaro has played 24 and 21 games in his first two rounds. Combined with Khachanov's serve strength and Passaro's ability to keep points going, the stage is set for at least one even set, possibly a tiebreak. Considering that this doesn't smell like dominance, we play;

ATP Rome at 17:00: Francesco Passaro – Karen Khachanov: Over 21.5 games (1.74)

Alternative games:

ATP Rome at 17:00: Francesco Passaro - Karen Khachanov: Khachanov wins 2-1 (3.60)

ATP Rome at 17:00: Francesco Passaro – Karen Khachanov: Passaro +4.5 games (1.52)