Eighteen of the top 20 players in the world will take part in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia at the Foro Italico in Rome for the second straight WTA 1000 tournament.
The main draw will start on Tuesday and will be held for 12 days for the first time in the history of the tournament.
Two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek leads the first quarter of the draw. Swiatek cruised past Karolina Pliskova 6-0 6-0 in the final of the 2021 edition of the Rome tournament and repeated her feat by beating Ons Jabeur 6-2 6-2 to win her second consecutive in the Italian capital. Swiatek beat Aryna Sabalenka in Stuttgart to claim her 13th career title. Sabalenka avenged this defeat by beating Swiatek in the Madrid Mutua Open final last Saturday. Sabalenka beat Swiatek on clay for the first time in four attempts. Swiatek leads 5-3 in her career head-to-head matches against Sabalenka.
Swiatek is seeded to face either 2014 Rome finalist Sara Errani or Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova, who is making her comeback after missing much of last year’s season due to an injury. Errani and Pavlyuchenkova reached the French Open in 2012 and 2021 respectively.
Swiatek is on a collision course for a potential quarter final showdown against last year’s Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who reached the Australian Open final finishing runner-up to Sabalenka and won the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells.
Rybakina could face Maria Sakkari in a potential Round of 16 clash between two top 10 players. Sakkari lost to Sabalenka in the semifinal in Madrid last week.
This quarter also features 2021 US Open Leylah Fernandez, and two players coming back from maternity leave, Barbora Strykova and Elina Svitolina, who claimed two consecutive Rome titles in 2017 and 2018.
Last year’s finalist Ons Jabeur leads the second quarter of the draw. The 2022 Wimbledon and US Open finalist withdrew from the Madrid Mutua Open due to a calf injury.
Jabeur could face a potential second round clash against 2021 Indian Wells champion Paula Badosa, who will face a qualifier in her opening match.
Number 6 seed Coco Gauff could face Madrid semifinalist Veronika Kudemertova in the Round of 16. They have played two three-set matches this year. Kudemertova beat Gauff 6-2 3-6 6-1 on hard court in the quarter final in Doha last February. Gauff avenged this defeat by beating Kudemertova 6-2 4-6 7-6 (7-3) in the first round in Stuttgart.
Number 2 seed Jessica Pegula could meet Karolina Pliskova, who won the Rome title in 2019 and reached two finals in 2020 and 2021.
Pegula and Gauff could meet in a potential quarter final match-up between two doubles partners. The US players were beaten by Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia in the doubles final in Madris last weekend.
Aryna Sabalenka leads the bottom half quarter of the draw after clinching her second title in Madrid in the last three years.
Sabalenka could meet either 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin or Cristina Bucsa in the second round and former Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka in the Round of 16. This section of the draw also features 2016 Rome finalist Madison Keys.
Last year’s WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia has been drawn at the other side of the draw. The French player could take on Madrid Mutua Open quarter finalist Petra Martic in the third round and last year’s Birmingham champion Beatriz Haddad Maia in the Round of 16.
