One of Rome's favourite sons saw his final Italian Open campaign come to an end in Saturday's action, where Great Britain also endured another day of mixed results on the clay.
However, one of the defending champions of the Masters competition was forced to withdraw from the tournament, ensuring that there would be at least one new holder in Rome.
Here, Sports Mole runs down the highlights of Saturday's action at the ATP and WTA 1000 tournament.
Rafael Nadal casts doubt on French Open after Hubert Hurkacz defeat
A record-extending 11th Italian Open title will not come Rafael Nadal's way this year, as after getting the better of Zizou Bergs in his first-round battle, the 22-time Grand Slam winner was no match for towering Pole Hubert Hurkacz in round two.
Hurkacz took just 93 minutes to ease into the last 32 courtesy of a 6-1 6-3 triumph, thereby setting up a third-round affair with Tomas Martin Etcheverry and closing Nadal's Rome chapter for good.
The Spaniard managed to bring up seven break points against the seventh seed, but he was unable to convert any of them and only won 53% of points behind his first serve in a comprehensive defeat.
Following Hurkacz's dominant triumph, Nadal cast doubt over his participation at his beloved French Open - admitting that it was "not clear" whether he would enjoy a Roland-Garros swansong and lamenting a below-par display en route to an early elimination.
Jack Draper out as Cameron Norrie progresses
Jack Draper's emphatic success over Borna Coric in round one saw him rewarded with a daunting showdown against defending men's champion Daniil Medvedev, who was given a good run for his money against the 22-year-old but managed to get the job done in straight sets.
The second seed prevailed 7-5 6-4 in one hour and 47 minutes, despite being broken three times and only winning 40% of his second-serve points, in addition to being broken by Draper while serving for the match.
However, Cameron Norrie is still flying the Union Jack high for Great Britain in Rome and overcame a second-set capitulation against Spain's Jaume Munar to open his campaign with a 6-3 1-6 6-3 victory.
The British number one faced a whopping 15 break points behind his serve in the second-round battle but managed to beat away 11 of them, and he now seeks his first fourth-round Masters appearance of the season.
Iga Swiatek prevails after Elena Rybakina withdraws
Medvedev may still be gunning for back-to-back crowns, but in the women's singles draw, defending champion Elena Rybakina had to pull out of the competition citing an illness.
As a result, the destiny of the women's crown will change hands this year, and top seed Iga Swiatek kept her dreams of a Madrid-Rome double alive by seeing off Rybakina's Kazakhstani compatriot Yulia Putintseva 6-3 6-4.
The Pole found herself 4-1 behind in the second set before storming back to book a last-16 date with three-time major winner Angelique Kerber, but the other top seeds remain hot on her trail.
Despite suffering a second-set bagel, US Open champion Coco Gauff ran out a 6-1 0-6 6-3 victor over Romanian lucky loser Jaqueline Cristian, but the latter's counterpart Sorana Cirstea eliminated reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-6[1] 6-3. body check tags ::
