Another two-week combined event is already underway in Rome, with second round ATP and WTA action taking place on Friday.
The top eight men and the top eight women in the world are all present in the capital of Italy. After missing Madrid due to injury, Novak Djokovic makes his return in Rome, and plays his first match on Friday. Meanwhile, second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz is making his Foro Italico debut, and looking to remain undefeated this season on European clay.
Iga Swiatek is the top seed in the women’s draw, and is the two-time defending champion in Rome. Iga also plays her first match on Friday. But she is not headed for a third consecutive championship showdown with Aryna Sabalenka, as the second-seeded Madrid champion was upset on Thursday night by 2020 Australian Open champ Sofia Kenin.
Friday’s play is headlined by two second round clashes between notable names, as Ons Jabeur faces Paula Badosa, and Grigor Dimitrov plays Stan Wawrinka.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s two most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Friday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.
Stan Wawrinka vs. Grigor Dimitrov (26) – Second on Grand Stand Arena
Wawrinka is now 12-9 on the year, after defeating Ilya Ivashka 6-2, 6-4 in the first round on Wednesday. Stan is 25-16 lifetime in Rome, having reached the final 15 years ago, and the semifinals eight years ago.
Similarly, Dimitrov is 11-8 this season, and just 3-2 on clay. Throughout his career, he’s 10-10 at this tournament, having reached a semifinal in 2014 and a quarterfinal in 2020, when this tournament was staged in September.
Their rivalry dates back to 2011, which Wawrinka leads 7-5 overall. Stan has claimed five of their last six encounters, though they’ve haven’t played in over three years. On clay, they’re locked at 2-2, yet they’ve never previously played in Rome. But in the 13th meeting between these two one-handed backhands, I give Wawrinka the slight edge. Even though Stan has struggled to regain his form after multiple surgeries, he remains a more formidable threat on this surface.
Ons Jabeur (4) vs. Paula Badosa – Third on Center Court
Jabeur is only 11-5 in 2023, as she’s missed significant time this year due to multiple injuries. Most recently, she suffered a calf injury in Stuttgart, forcing her to retire from the semifinals of that event, and miss Madrid altogether. This is her first match in three weeks, at a tournament where she is the defending runner-up, having lost last year’s final in straight sets to Swiatek.
Similarly, Badosa missed time this season as well due to injury, and is only 14-7 thus far. In Madrid, she scored an impressive 6-3, 6-0 victory over Coco Gauff, before losing to Maria Sakkari. Paula already survived a first round scare in Rome, prevailing in a third-set tiebreak against Anna Lena Friedsam. This is only Badosa’s second appearance in Rome, after going 1-1 here last year.
Badosa leads their head-to-head 2-1, and 1-0 on clay. The Spaniard took their last two meetings: two years ago at Indian Wells, and last year in Stuttgart. With Jabeur just returning from injury, I like Badosa’s chances of making it three in a row on Friday.
Other Notable Matches on Friday:
Thanasi Kokkinakis (Q) vs. Jannik Sinner (8) – Sinner is 26-6 this season, but missed Madrid due to illness. Kokkinakis is 9-7 at tour level, and just 1-1 on clay, with both those matches against Jamue Munar, who retired from their first round match on Wednesday after just six games. Jannik is 2-0 against Thanasi.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – Swiatek is 25-5 on the year, though she’s coming off a tough loss in the final of Madrid to Sabalenka. Pavlyuchenkova has only played eight matches this season at tour level, after missing the last six months of 2022 due to a knee injury.
Arthur Fils (Q) vs. Holger Rune (7) – Rune is 22-9 in 2023, and 8-2 on clay, having won the title in Munich after saving match points. Fils is an impressive 18-year-old from France who is 20-7 this year at all levels.
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry – Djokovic is 17-3 this year, and 64-10 lifetime in Rome. He is a six-time and defending champion, having defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2022 final. Etcheverry was already a finalist this season at two clay court events (Santiago, Houston).
Marketa Vondrousova vs. Bianca Andreescu (24) – Andreescu is just 9-8 on the season, and 0-1 on clay, after suffering an awful ankle injury in Miami. Vondrousova is a strong 17-7, and beat Kaia Kanepi in the opening round.
Jasmine Paolini vs. Elena Rybakina (7) – Rybakina is 24-7 this year, but has lost her last two matches, including a retirement in Stuttgart due to a lower back injury. Paolini is a 27-year-old Italian who ousted Xinyu Wang in the first round.
Friday’s full Order of Play is here.
