'LONG WAY TO GO IN THE TENNIS SEASON': VUKIC SCORES MUCH-NEEDED MASTERS WIN IN ROME

It was a perfect day from an Australian perspective on Thursday at the Foro Italico, with Aleks Vukic – the only Aussie in action – advancing to round two.

Vukic, who has struggled for form since the Australian Open, enjoyed a comfortable straight sets victory over American Nicolas Moreno de Alboran.

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Commencing play on court 14, as far as you can be from the site’s main entrance, the 29-year-old was assertive from the outset against his less experienced opponent, but needed a tiebreak to take the opening set.

Carrying a swing of momentum in the second, Vukic found a couple of breaks and held his serve, to score a 7-6(2), 6-2 triumph.

Having beaten the American qualifier in three sets last week in Estoril – an important event where Vukic snapped a ten-match losing streak – the Aussie admitted he came into this encounter with confidence.

“Beating Nico was actually my first win last week and (before that) I’d lost seven or eight three-setters in a row,” Vukic told The First Serve post-match.

“And so, I won that in three sets, and I played a very good third set, and so that gave me a lot of confidence.”

Vukic further revealed how, despite a difficult three-month stretch, he’s learnt to remain positive with an eleven-month calendar gifting him many more opportunities to turn it around in 2025.

"The season's so long…so many guys hit walls at different points of the year and it's about trying to stay as fresh as possible, trying to keep a good balance, on and off the court as well, because it can be quite consuming,” he insightfully said.

Vukic will now face another American in Sebastian Korda who he defeated in five sets at this year’s Australian Open, and it’s a matchup where he feels the two share similarities.

“It's nice knowing that I've beaten him before. It just gives me the confidence going into that, but anything can happen, so really looking forward to that challenge,” he said.

"In terms of the game style, I think we’re quite similar. My forehand’s heavier than his, his is definitely flatter. His backhand’s probably better than mine, and he’s a very clean hitter.

“But we try to play similar ways, both using the serve plus one to build points.”

And as he extends his week in the majestic venue that is the Foro Italico, Vukic told us it’s among his favourite destinations to play for a few reasons.

"This is one of the better venues on tour. It kind of captures Rome in itself for Italy,” Vukic said.

“There are so many statues everywhere you look. There's some part of history from like 900 AD or something. It’s very traditional, and it captures a lot. I definitely prefer this one over Madrid. It has more of that tennis history feeling.

“And the fans here…they know tennis. No one ever knows who the hell I am, but here I actually have people saying, ‘look it’s Vukic’, which is very rare for me (smiling).”

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