Aleksandar Kovacevic Meets Mustetti in Rome 2026 Debut Match
aleksandar kovacevic does not have a court role in Rome, but Lorenzo Mustetti’s opening match does: the Italian is scheduled to debut at the 2026 Italian Open against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on May 8 at around 20:30 on the Central Court. Mustetti enters as the number 8 seed and has beaten Perricard in all four of their previous meetings.
Mustetti and Mpetshi Perricard
The matchup arrives after four meetings between the two from 2024 to 2025, at ATP 250 in Stuttgart, Wimbledon, the US Open and ATP 500 in Beijing. Mustetti won each one, so this meeting brings a clear record into a new setting rather than a fresh start.
That matters on a day when six Italians were scheduled to compete at the Italian Open. For the home side, Mustetti is one of the main names on the card, and his slot on the Central Court puts him in the evening spotlight.
BNP Paribas Arena schedule
Matthew Arnaldi was set to face Alex de Minaur at 11 on BNP Paribas Arena. They had met only once before, in the second round of the 2024 Australian Open, and de Minaur won that match.
Luciano Darderi was scheduled to meet Yannick Hanfmann at approximately 4:30 pm on BNP Paribas Arena. Darderi had won their three previous matches, including last March’s Chile Open final, which gives him a clear edge entering this one.
Italian Open broadcast slate
Tyra Catherine Grant was scheduled to play Victoria Mboko around 2:30 pm on BNP Paribas Arena after advancing by beating Lisa Pigato in three sets. Noemi Basiletti was set to face Elina Svitolina around 16 pm on SuperTennis Arena with two qualifying wins and a round-of-64 victory over Ajla Tomljanovic behind her.
Elizabeth Cocciaretto was due to meet Emma Navarro not before 19 p.m. on Centre Court after opening her tournament run by defeating Sinja Kraus. Jannik Sinner’s debut was scheduled for the following day, and Mustetti’s match was also to be shown free-to-air on TV8, with all the matches on Sky Sport Uno and Sky Sport Tennis and streaming available on Sky Go, Now, or Tennis TV.
