Tuesday features the first two WTA singles quarterfinals, as well as all eight ATP round of 16 singles matches.
We are one round away from a blockbuster semifinal between Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff. However, both must first overcome big-hitting competition on Tuesday. Swiatek faces a red-hot Madison Keys, while Gauff takes on Australian Open runner-up Qinwen Zheng.
Plus, Tuesday will host all fourth round matches in the ATP singles draw, with six of the top 10 seeds still remaining.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s two most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Tuesday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Madison Keys (18) – Not Before 1:00pm on Center Court
Swiatek survived a tough test on Monday afternoon from Angelique Kerber to win her ninth match in a row. Iga is now 17-2 lifetime in Rome, and is yet to drop a set this fortnight. And less than two weeks ago, she comfortably defeated her next opponent, with the loss of just four games.
Keys has only claimed one of four meetings with Swiatek, and that victory came on a fast hard court in Madison’s home country. But the American has won all seven of her matches on European clay this year against players not ranked No.1 in the world. And she’s already beaten two seeded players during this event (Haddad Maia, Cirstea).
So can Keys challenge Swiatek on Tuesday? If she wasn’t able to do so in the altitude of Madrid, then I don’t like her chances in Rome, which plays slower than Madrid and will reward her power to an even lesser degree. Iga is a strong favorite to reach her eighth WTA 1000 semifinal out of her last nine appearances.
Coco Gauff (3) vs. Qinwen Zheng (7) – Not Before 8:30pm on Center Court
Gauff’s best tennis has escaped her of late, but she took after her coach Brad Gilbert by “winning ugly” on Monday, gritting her way back from a set down to take out Paula Badosa. Coco will now vie for her first semifinal since Indian Wells two months ago. She previously advanced to a semifinal three years ago in Rome, where she is now 11-4 lifetime.
On Monday, Qinwen picked up her best victory since reaching the Australian Open final in January, defeating Naomi Osaka in straight sets. Zheng had extra motivation in that contest, as Wim Fessette abruptly left her team at the end of last season to return to Naomi’s team. On Tuesday, Qinwen is looking to unlock another career milestone: achieving her first WTA 1000 semifinal, after previously going 0-3 in quarterfinals.
This is the first of what will likely be many career meetings between 20-year-old Coco and 21-year-old Zheng. On Tuesday night, I favor Gauff to take their initial encounter. The American’s recent form, while not stellar, has still been stronger than Qinwen’s. And as Tennis Channel’s Jimmy Arias marveled on Monday, Coco’s speed around the court is unmatched on the WTA tour.
Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:
Taylor Fritz (11) vs. Grigor Dimitrov (8) – Fritz is now 9-3 this season on clay, while Dimitrov is just 4-2. They have split two prior encounters, both of which were on this same surface.
Tommy Paul (14) vs. Daniil Medvedev (2) – Medvedev, the defending champion, required nearly three hours to defeat qualifier Hamad Medjedovic late in the day on Monday. Paul spent nearly half that amount of time to win in straight sets on the same day. Daniil is 3-0 against Tommy, most recently beating him in three sets two months ago in the Indian Wells semifinals.
Hubert Hurkacz (7) vs. Sebastian Baez (17) – After dominating Rafael Nadal over the weekend, Hurkacz followed that up with another straight-set victory on Monday. Baez upset Holger Rune in the last round, to reach the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 event for the first time. This is their first career meeting.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (6) vs. Alex de Minaur (9) – Tsitsipas defeated Cam Norrie on Monday, while de Minaur came from a set down to eliminate Felix Auger-Aliassime. Stefanos has claimed 12 of their 14 matches at all levels, though their last matchup went to the Australian, a few months ago in Acapulco.
Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.
