As the focus shifts to Rome, a significant gathering is taking place simultaneously with the tennis tournament. In the Sistine Chapel, 133 Cardinals from around 70 nations will commence the traditional procedure to choose the next Pope. This Conclave will ultimately select the spiritual leader for 1.4 billion Catholics, announced by the familiar white smoke and a subsequent appearance on the St. Peter`s Square balcony.
Just four kilometers away, Rome hosts another major global event: the Internazionali BNL d’Italia tennis tournament, where the world`s elite players compete. Featuring 49 of the Top 50 players in the PIF WTA Rankings (with Barbora Krejcikova absent due to injury), the tournament begins Tuesday.
Anticipation is high for World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, fresh off winning the last two WTA 1000 tournaments including Madrid`s clay event, and World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, a dominant force in Rome with three titles in the past four years.
Here’s a look at some of the leading storylines:
Top 10 at a glance
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (31-5 in 2025): After winning the Madrid title for a third time, confidently eyeing a first title in Rome.
Best Rome result: Finalist 2024.
No. 2 Iga Swiatek (26-8): The defending champion is looking for some inspiration after a tough semifinal loss in Madrid.
Best Rome result: Champion 2024, 2022, 2021.
No. 3 Coco Gauff (19-7): Starting to click on clay after reaching the Madrid final, beating strong opponents along the way.
Best Rome result: Semifinalist 2024, 2021.
No. 4 Jessica Pegula (27-8): Won the title on green clay in Charleston but has a 2-2 record on red clay since.
Best Rome result: Quarterfinalist 2021.
No. 5 Jasmine Paolini (16-8): Italy’s greatest hope in her sixth main appearance has struggled (2-5) on home turf.
Best Rome result: Round of 32 in 2020.
No. 6 Madison Keys (23-5): Making her 11th main-draw appearance.
Best Rome result: Finalist 2016, losing to Serena Williams.
No. 7 Mirra Andreeva (24-6): Semifinalist last year at Roland Garros, looking for a similar breakthrough in Rome.
Best Rome result: Round of 128 in 2024.
No. 8 Zheng Qinwen (9-7): Only 2-2 on clay so far this year, hoping for a renaissance in Rome.
Best Rome result: Quarterfinalist 2024, 2023.
No. 9 Emma Navarro (15-10): Lost her second match in Madrid.
Best Rome result: Round of 64 in 2024.
No. 10 Paula Badosa (12-7): Withdrew from Madrid with a chronic back injury and will be a game-time decision in Rome.
Best Rome result: Quarterfinalist 2023.
Three first-round matches we can’t wait for
- Naomi Osaka vs. wild card Sara Errani
- Marketa Vondrousova vs. Wang Xinyu
- Dayana Yastremska vs. Anastasia Potapova
On the outside(ish) looking in
Naomi Osaka arrives in Rome with momentum after capturing the L`Open 35 de Saint Malo title in France. This was Osaka`s first career clay-court title. As a wild card, she defeated Kaja Juvan 6-1, 7-5 in the final, boosting her ranking six spots to No. 48. She went 5-0 for the week, marking her return to clay courts since the Paris Olympics. It was her first title at any level since winning her fourth Grand Slam singles crown five years ago at the Australian Open.
Clearly, it’s personal
Three players are using their protected ranking to enter the main draw: Petra Kvitova, Bianca Andreescu, and Anastasija Sevastova. Kvitova faces Irina-Camelia Begu, known for being dangerous on clay. Andreescu plays 20-year-old Italian wildcard Federica Urgesi, while Sevastova meets another Italian, Lucia Bronzetti.
Note: Sevastova wasn’t sure she’d walk unaided again. She was wrong.
Roma’s rich history
Chris Evert holds the record for most titles (five) at the Italian Open. Conchita Martinez, Gabriela Sabatini, and Serena Williams follow with four titles each. Martinez is unique in winning four consecutive times (1993-1996).
In the Open Era, Serena Williams has the most women’s singles match wins (44), just ahead of Conchita Martinez (43). Victoria Azarenka leads active players with 28 wins.
Sixteen-year-old Tracy Austin (1979) is the youngest women’s singles champion in the Open Era, while Serena Williams was the oldest at 34 in 2016. Serena won the title three times after turning 30.
Only three women have won both Madrid and Rome in the same season, all as World No. 1: Dinara Safina (2009), Serena Williams (2013), and Iga Swiatek (2024). Aryna Sabalenka has the opportunity to join this exclusive group.
Among players with multiple appearances in the Open Era, Evert has the best winning percentage (.923), followed by Swiatek (.909).
Switching sides
Only weeks ago, 17-year-old Tyra Grant, a promising young player, represented the United States. However, in Rome, she will represent Italy, having received a wild card. Born in Rome to an American father and Italian mother, she grew up near Milan and trained at the Piatti Academy. Grant has also spent time at the USTA national campus in Florida. A winner of three junior Grand Slam doubles titles and a French Open junior singles semifinalist last year, her switch to representing Italy has been anticipated for several weeks.
Qualies
Qualifying matches are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, determining the final twelve players to enter the main draw.
Top seeds include No. 1 Katie Volynets, No. 2 Anna Blinkova, No. 3 Zeynep Sonmez, No. 4 Maya Joint, and No. 5 Ajla Tomljanovic.
A notable entry is 35-year-old Alize Cornet. Despite announcing her retirement last year at Roland Garros, she returns to face No. 22 seed Anna Bondar.
Keep an eye on …
- Alexandra Eala: The rising 19-year-old Filipina enters the main draw with a No. 71 ranking. She previously upset Swiatek in Miami and took a set off her in Madrid before Swiatek mounted a comeback.
- Petra Kvitova: The two-time Wimbledon champion, 35, is still seeking her first win since returning from maternity leave (currently 0-4).
- Anastasija Sevastova: After lengthy breaks for maternity leave and injury, Sevastova secured wins over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and seed Jelena Ostapenko in Madrid.
2024 leaders (Rome Tournament Statistics)
- Jelena Ostapenko landed the most winners (150) at the 2024 Internazionali d’Italia.
- Aryna Sabalenka saved the most break points (30) and executed the most successful drop shots (17). She also spent the most time on court (10 hours and 13 minutes).
- Coco Gauff won the most points at the net (50) last year.
