Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin are looking for an upturn in fortunes as they hit the clay courts of the Foro Italico in Rome in the build-up to the French Open.
But they've been presented with tough opening hurdles at the Italian Open against local players.
Popyrin, who's searching for his first win on European clay this season after two first-round defeats in Monte Carlo and Madrid, will have to face a partisan crowd and the booming serves of former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini on the complex's main Campo Centrale court first up on Thursday.
He'll be seeking to join his fellow Sydneysider de Minaur, who's been given an opening bye, in the second round, where the Australian No.1 will meet resurgent Italian wildcard Matteo Arnaldi, who's fresh from winning his fifth Challenger title at the weekend in Cagliari.
Arnadi, a former top-30 player who's slipped outside the top 100 after struggles with a persistent foot injury, showed he's on the way back on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) as he followed up his success by defeating doughty Spaniard Jaume Munar 6-3 3-6 6-3.
Sixth seed de Minaur will be determined to put an indifferent sequence of results behind him, especially after being outplayed by Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar in Madrid only nine days after another rising talent Hamad Medjedovic had also beaten him in straight sets in Barcelona.
Also joining his fellow Sydneysider in the second round will be Aleksandar Vukic, who enjoyed a release from his recent tale of woe as he finally won a match after losing seven on the bounce stretching back a month-and-a-half.
World No.99 Vukic hadn't won a match on clay all season until he dispatched the challenge of American Patrick Kypson 6-3 5-7 6-0. It was a real boost against a man who'd surprisingly downed de Minaur earlier in the season in Acapulco.
It will be much tougher for Vukic in the next round, though, with 16th seed Tommy Paul awaiting. The American prevailed in straight sets in their meeting at the start of the year in the Adelaide quarter-final.
