Sunday features third round matches from both the ATP and WTA singles draws.
Center Court play on Sunday is headlined by top-seeded Novak Djokovic and second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka. But the two most intriguing matches of the day are on other courts, between other seeded players. On Grand Stand Arena, Danielle Collins, a two-time WTA champion this year, takes on Caroline Garcia, winner of the 2022 WTA Finals. And on Court Pietrangeli, it’s a battle between two Americans with possible Olympic qualification ramifications: Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s two most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Sunday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.
Taylor Fritz (11) vs. Sebastian Korda (24) – Third on Court Pietrangeli
While far from a clay court specialist, eight of Fritz’s 20 wins this season have now come on this surface. And half of his four appearances in the semifinals of Masters have also come on clay. In addition to advancing to the semis of Madrid last week, Taylor advanced to the final of Munich last month. He ousted Italy’s Fabio Fognini in straight sets on Friday.
Korda has never advanced beyond the third round of a Masters 1000 tournament on clay, with his only semifinal at this level coming last fall on a hard court in Shanghai. He is just 3-3 this year on clay, after requiring nearly three hours to overcome Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in his opening round. That was Sebastian’s first-ever victory at this event.
Their only prior encounter also occurred at a Masters tournament on clay, with Fritz winning two tight sets two years ago in Monte Carlo. Taylor is a clear favorite to prevail again on Sunday, though playing a similarly-ranked fellow countryman is never easy. And there’s even more on the line in an Olympic year.
Only the top four ranked American men, as of the week after Roland Garros, will qualify for the Paris Olympics. Fritz will certainly qualify, as he’s the No.1 American man. But Korda currently sits at No.5, just 50 points behind No.4, Frances Tiafoe. With a victory on Sunday, Korda would move into a tie with Tiafoe, who has been struggling of late and is already out of this tournament. So Sebastian will be extra motivated, as well as feeling extra pressure, in this contest.
Danielle Collins (13) vs. Caroline Garcia (22) – Fourth on Grand Stand Arena
Collins has announced this will be her last year on tour, and what a season she’s having. Danielle is 29-8 in 2024, having won back-to-back titles in Miami and Charleston. She reached the fourth round of Madrid last week, and is looking to match that result on Sunday, her best-ever at a clay court WTA 1000 event.
Garcia is just 14-11 in 2024, as for the past year she has failed to maintain her amazing form from the last six months of the 2022 season. But she did reach a semifinal on clay last month in Rouen, where she lost to Sloane Stephens in straight sets. Caroline’s best result in Rome came in 2018, when she advanced to the quarterfinals.
These are two of the sport’s most aggressive ball strikers. Collins loves to use her vicious backhand to finish points, while Garcia stands further within the baseline to return serve than any other top player. Based on recent form, and with Danielle having dominated their head-to-head 4-0, which includes a straight-set victory recently in Miami, Collins should be favored to make it 5-0 against Garcia.
Other Notable Matches on Sunday:
Dayana Yastremska (32) vs. Aryna Sabalenka (2) – Sabalenka came back from a set down in her opening round against Katie Volynets, though Aryna owns a surprisingly subpar record in Rome of 5-5. Yastremska was a surprise semifinalist this past January at the Australian Open, but has gone just 5-7 ever since. However, Dayana leads their head-to-head 3-0.
Novak Djokovic (1) vs. Alejandro Tabilo (29) – Djokovic easily prevailed in his opening round, and thankfully is feeling well after a water bottle fell from a fan’s bag above him and struck him in the head while exiting the court on Friday night. Tabilo was a champion to start the season in Auckland on a hard court, and was the runner-up a month later in Santiago on clay. This is their first career meeting.
Sunday’s full Order of Play is here.
