Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Rome Masters match.
Dušan Lajović and Ethan Quinn faced each other for the first time not long ago, in the opening round of the previous Masters tournament in Madrid. On that occasion, it was the American who came out on top (6:3, 6:4). Now, they meet again in the qualifying rounds for Rome.
Dušan Lajović
Dušan Lajović is a relatively well-known name on the tour, but he now finds himself needing to go through the qualifying stages. He started the year ranked 75th in the ATP standings, but has since slipped to 131st. Had he maintained his early-season form, he likely would have avoided qualifying. However, this season has not unfolded as hoped. Across eight tournaments, Lajović has collected only three main draw victories. His most notable drop came in the third week of April when, instead of defending his semi-finals showing from last year at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona, he managed only a quarter-finals appearance at a Challenger tournament in Oeiras, Portugal. Lajović then withdrew from that match due to injury.
Ethan Quinn
Ethan Quinn enters the Rome qualifying draw as the 18th seed, though expectations for him remain modest, in part due to his limited experience at the top level. Unlike Dušan Lajović, who once climbed as high as 23rd in the ATP rankings, the American—currently ranked 114th—has yet to reach such heights, despite being 21 years old. Quinn has played just 19 matches at tour level (6 wins, 13 losses), and holds a 4:7 record this season. His most recent bump in the rankings—up five places—came after a second-round showing in Madrid. After beating Dušan Lajović, he was then comfortably beaten by 22nd seed Jakub Mensik (6:7, 1:6).
Dušan Lajović vs Ethan Quinn Prediction
There are encouraging signs in Ethan Quinn’s development, and his recent victory over Dušan Lajović adds to that momentum. At the very least, he is expected to put up a strong fight.
