Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Rome, Italy - WTA 1000

[tented]

DATE: May 9 - 20, 2023
SURFACE: Clay
PRIZE MONEY: $3,572,618
FIELD SIZE: 96
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Iga Swiatek

Seeds:

1. Iga Swiatek
2. Aryna Sabalenka
3. Jessica Pegula
4. Ons Jabeur
5. Caroline Garcia
6. Coco Gauff
7. Elena Rybakina
8. Daria Kasatkina
9. Maria Sakkari
10. Barbora Krejcikova
11. Veronika Kudermetova
12. Beatriz Haddad Maia
13. Karolina Pliskova
14. Victoria Azarenka
15. Ekaterina Alexandrova
16. Liudmila Samsonova
17. Magda Linette
18. Martina Trevisan
19. Madison Keys
20. Donna Vekic
21. Jelena Ostapenko
22. Zheng Qinwen
23. Anastasia Potapova
24. Bianca Andreescu
25. Elise Mertens
26. Jil Teichmann
27. Marie Bouzkova
28. Bernarda Pera
29. Petra Martic
30. Anhelina Kalinina
31. Irina-Camelia Begu
32. Marta Kostyuk

The Tournament:

The Italian Open, originally called the Italian International Championships, is a tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is one of the most important clay tennis tournaments in the world with the men's competition being an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour, and the women's competition technically being a WTA 1000 event on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour. The two events were combined in 2011. The tournament is played on clay courts, currently during the second week of May. The event is also known as the "Rome Masters" for male edition, as well as sponsored name "Internazionali BNL d'Italia". Rafael Nadal has won the men's singles title a record ten times.

About Rome:

Rome is the capital city of Italy. It is also the capital of the Lazio region, the centre of the Metropolitan City of Rome, and a special comune named Comune di Roma Capitale. With 2,860,009 residents in 1,285 km2 (496.1 sq mi), Rome is the country's most populated comune and the third most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. The Metropolitan City of Rome, with a population of 4,355,725 residents, is the most populous metropolitan city in Italy. Its metropolitan area is the third-most populous within Italy. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber. Vatican City (the smallest country in the world) is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city. Rome is often referred to as the City of Seven Hills due to its geographic location, and also as the "Eternal City". Rome is generally considered to be the "cradle of Western civilization and Christian culture", and the centre of the Catholic Church.

Tourism Guide:

 

[tented]

The Draw:

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I have done potential QFs ( if the seeds hold)

Swiatek v Rybakina
Jabeur v Kasatkina
Gauff v Pegula
Garcia v Sabalenka

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

Another favorable draw for Coco Gauff. Let's see if she can take advantage of this one.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Another favorable draw for Coco Gauff. Let's see if she can take advantage of this one.

Well Coco needs to play much better than she has in previous clay tournaments, this year for starters, regardless of the draw

 

[Moxie]

Working my way through the draw challenge. A match I'd like to see that is potential: Azarenka v. Sabalenka. Doesn't favor Azarenka, but could be fun.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Just looking at the projected QFs if the seeds hold,
Swiatek should defeat Rybakina especially on clay and in Rome where the courts suit her and she is the defending champion
Jabeur still has a question mark on her calf injury, which forced her to withdraw from Madrid where she was defending champion,if Jabeur can make it to the QF, I feel she has too much game for Ksatkina
Gauff who is coming off 3 straight 2nd round losses, latest in Madrid, where she lost to Badosa 63 60, if she gets to the QF., I feel Pegula will be more likely to win.
Garcia v Sabalenka, Sabalenka is coming off her first win ever over Swiatek, in Madrid, remember the courts in Rome, are completely different to the faster high altitude courts in Madrid, though she has been the in form player at present, I would favor Sabalenka
It would not surprise me if we see a Swiatek v Sabalenka final again in Rome

 

[Moxie]

Just looking at the projected QFs if the seeds hold,
Swiatek should defeat Rybakina especially on clay and in Rome where the courts suit her and she is the defending champion
Jabeur still has a question mark on her calf injury, which forced her to withdraw from Madrid where she was defending champion,if Jabeur can make it to the QF, I feel she has too much game for Ksatkina
Gauff who is coming off 3 straight 2nd round losses, latest in Madrid, where she lost to Badosa 63 60, if she gets to the QF., I feel Pegula will be more likely to win.
Garcia v Sabalenka, Sabalenka is coming off her first win ever over Swiatek, in Madrid, remember the courts in Rome, are completely different to the faster high altitude courts in Madrid, though she has been the in form player at present, I would favor Sabalenka
It would not surprise me if we see a Swiatek v Sabalenka final again in Rome

Top tips for my draw challenge....thanks!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Top tips for my draw challenge....thanks!

Dont quote me, I could be very wrong lol!

 

[Moxie]

Dont quote me, I could be very wrong lol!

It's OK, you should see my draw...it's all over the place!

 

[kskate2]

I have done potential QFs ( if the seeds hold)

Swiatek v Rybakina
Jabeur v Kasatkina
Gauff v Pegula
Garcia v Sabalenka

I don't see these seeds holding. I won't say which, but I see at least 3 not getting there

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

I can almost bet that Jabeur and Kasatkina won't make the quarters. Jabeur has been injured most of the season, and Kasatkina just hasn't played well. Then again, aside from Swiatek and Sabalenka, is anyone else really a shoe in to make any QF?

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I can almost bet that Jabeur and Kasatkina won't make the quarters. Jabeur has been injured most of the season, and Kasatkina just hasn't played well. Then again, aside from Swiatek and Sabalenka, is anyone else really a shoe in to make any QF?

Jabeur returning from knee surgery this year won Charleston? I suggest you do your homework? then she picked up a calf injury when she could not defend in Madrid, as I posted in if she can make it to the QF I feel she has more game than Daria,
Projected QF are just that, going on rankings, it dosent mean any of the players with their rankings will make the QFs
Well another player that has not played well is Gauff 3 straight 2nd round losses? going out in Madrid 63 60? to Badosa. a player you seem to forget that has not played well.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Good to see Strycovra ( coming back from maternity leave) win her first singles match in 3 sets over Zanevska 61 36 63
Youngster Linda Noskova winning in 3 sets over Rogers 46 61 64
Anett Kontaveit coming back to the tour, from a back injury with a win in SS over A. Parks 61 61

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

In the last ladies match for the day,
Sasnovich v Fernandez
Fernandez needs to lift her first serve percentage up, and she is coughing a lot, though she found some form winning the 2nd set 64, going 3 sets, and she has a early break in the 3rd set., there are only a 'sprinkle of fans', this match was late getting started, thank goodness this court has lighting.
Sad to say Fernandez lost and Sasnovich was the better player overall winning 76(4) 46 64, Fernandez 1st serve in the final set let her down

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Just looking at the rest of the first round matches tomorrow, some interesting match ups.
I will post some of them later.

 

[tented]

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Just glancing at the WTA doubles draw, I see Gauff/Pegula are playing again, quite frankly both players were flat in their doubles final against Azarenka/Haddad Madrid, in hindsight maybe they should just concentrate on their singles play in Rome.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Good to see Sloane Stephens with a first rd win in SS over Podoroska 64 61
Taylor Towsend in 3 sets 46 61 75 over Bonaventure
Pavlyuchenkova SS win over WC Sara Errani 61 61

 

[kskate2]

Svito out in R1 to her moody countrywoman Tsurenko.