Top seed Aryna Sabalenka and defending champion Jasmine Paolini advanced to the third round of the Italian Open on Thursday, while Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and Italian favorite Matteo Berrettini suffered disappointing early exits in the men’s singles draw.
World No. 1 Sabalenka delivered a dominant performance against Czech player Barbora Krejcikova, winning 6-2, 6-3 in straight sets. After both players exchanged early breaks, the Belarusian quickly found her rhythm and controlled the match from the baseline.
Sabalenka produced 29 winners while limiting herself to just 13 unforced errors, underlining why she remains one of the tournament favorites in Rome.
Paolini survives tough opening challenge
Ninth seed Paolini endured a stern test before overcoming qualifier Leolia Jeanjean 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4 in a marathon contest lasting nearly three hours.
The Italian appeared on course to take the opening set after leading 5-3, but Jeanjean fought back and edged the tiebreak 7-4. Paolini responded impressively in the second set, raising her level to force a decider.
The defending champion secured a decisive break in the seventh game of the final set before closing out victory 6-4 to book her place in the next round.
Speaking after the match, Paolini described the encounter as “a bit of ups and downs,” admitting she experienced similar fluctuations during her title-winning campaign in Rome last year.
She added that she felt well prepared coming into the tournament and was pleased to continue her run in front of the home crowd.
“I’m happy that I have another chance to play another match here in Rome,” Paolini said.
Anisimova withdraws with injury
Sixth seed Amanda Anisimova withdrew from the tournament earlier in the day due to a wrist injury.
Lucky loser Elena-Gabriela Ruse replaced her in the draw but was defeated in three sets by Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko.
Ostapenko will now face China’s Zheng Qinwen in the third round.
Berrettini and Tsitsipas knocked out early
In the men’s singles draw, Berrettini disappointed local fans after losing in straight sets to Australia’s Alexei Popyrin.
Tsitsipas also suffered an early exit after falling to Czech player Tomas Machac in the opening round.
Friday’s schedule at the Italian Open will feature the tournament debuts of Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek.
Meanwhile, China’s Wang Xinyu is scheduled to face Philippine rising star Alexandra Eala in another highly anticipated match in Rome.