2026 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Rome, Italy - WTA 1000

[MargaretMcAleer]

Play officially done for the day due to rain in Rome. They will have a roof soon but not yet.
Not a huge deal in this 12 day format to get rain, back when this was a week, a single day of rain cause players to have to play 2 matches in a day, not an issue anymore

2 remaining matches in progress before the rain set in again, then finally cancelled for the day

Basiletti leading Tomljanovic 5-3 1st set
Waltert leading Starodubtseva 75 46 4-1

Both matches have been re-scheduled for tomorrow

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Matches, Thursday May 7,

Jasmine Paolini (9) defending champion starts her defense against Frenchwoman Q Jeanjean

Other seeds in action,
Gauff (3), Sabalenka (1), Andreeva (8), Bencic (12), Bucsa (30), Joint (29), Anisimova (6), Jovic (16), Cirstea (26), Kalinskaya (22), Bouzkova (24), Mertens (21), Tuson (18), Noskova (13).

BTW,
Anisimova who plays against Ostapenko the battle of 2 sluggers, is rumored to have a new coach in Torben Beltz, after splitting with Hendrik Vleeshouwers who guided her to a world ranking of No 3 and 2 GS finals in 2025, they split in March 2026.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Amanda Anisinova withdrew with a left wrist injury
LL Ruse will play against Ostapenko

Clara Tauson retired in her match against Russian Oliynkova with on going back pain/inflammation, 16 1-3

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Seeds through matches Thursday May 7,

Gauff (3), Kalinskaya (22), Cirstea (26), Noskova (13), Paolini (9), Andreeva (8), Bencic (12), Sabalenka (1) Jovic (16)

Seeds that lost
Tauson (18) RET, Joint (29), Bucsa (30), Bouzkova (29)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Matches Friday 8th May,

Seeds in action ( there is a lot of them
Swiatek (4), Navarro (28), Osaka (15), Mboko (10), Rybakina (2), Pegula (5), Svitilona (7), Wang (31), Cristian (33), Shnaider (19), Keys (17),
Alexandrova (14), Fernandez (25), Samsonova (20), Muchova (11), Baptiste (32)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Some fun match ups to look forward to Top Half of the draw round 3,

Sabalenka (1) vs Cristea (26)
Noskova (13) vs Oliynkova
Bencic (12) vs Kalinskaya (22)
Ostapenko vs Zheng
Gauff (3) vs Sierra
Jovic (16) vs Townsend Q
Paolini (9) vs Metens (21)
Andreeva (8) vs Golubic

Fun!

 

[britbox]

Video Highlights - Day 3

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Victoria Mboko (10) has withdrawn due to a stomach virus, a LL Nicola Bartunkova will take her place, and will play Grant

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Results of matches Friday 8th May,

Seeds through,
Pegula (5), Osaka (15), Keys (17), Swaitek (4), Shnaider (19) Samsonova (20) Svitolina (7) Baptiste (32) Rybakina (2)

Seeds that lost,
Muchova (11), Wang (31) Alexandrova (14) Navarro (28) Cristian (33) Fernandez (25)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Upcoming round 3 matches
Bottom Half of the draw,

Pegula (5) vs Q Masarova
Samsonova (20) vs Potapova
Osaka (15) vs Shnaider (19)
Swiatek (4) vs Coccoaretto
Svitolina (7) vs Baptiste (32)
Keys (17) vs Bartunkova LL
Pliskova (PR) vs Siegemund
Rybakina (2) vs Eala

Fun Too!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Round 32 Matches
Top Half of the draw.
Saturday 9th May,

Seeds in action,
Paolini (9), Mertens (21), Sabalenka (1), Cirstea (26), Bencic (12), Kalinskaya (22), Gauff (3), Andreeva (8), Jovic (16) Noskova (13)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Sabalenka in all kinds of trouble in her match against Cirstea, having back problems had a MTO
Cirstea serving for the match
Sabalenka broke her and it is 5 games all 3rd set
BTW Cirstea is playing the best tennis of her career this year, she might want to re think her retirement
Sabalenka broken again
Cirstea will have a 2nd chance to serve out the match at 6-5, Saba strong return game has kept her in this match so far
Cirstea 36 yo, has defeated the no 1 seed Sabalenka 26 63 75 for large parts of this match, Cirstea took the racket out of Sabalenka's hands.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Jasmine Paolini defending champion lost in 3 sets to Mertens 46 67(5) 63
Jazz had 3 MP in the 2nd set? and should have won in straight sets?
I am not really surprised that Jazz lost her form this year has been below par.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Sabalenka in her press conference,
" I'd say that probably its like my lower back, connected to the hip, which ,kind of like limiting me from the full rotation. I guess we just going to have some days off. We're going to spend it on recovery.Thats the plan I believe for now".

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Seeds through in Saturday 9th May,

Mertens (21), Noskova (13), Gauff (3), Andreeva (8), Jovic (16) Kalinsskaya (22)

Seeds that lost,
Sabalenka (1), Paolini (9), Bencic (12)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Round of 32 Matches,
Bottom Half of the Draw.
Sunday May 10,

Seeds in action,

Svitilona (7), Swiatek (4), Baptiste (32), Pegula (5) Osaka (15), Rybakina (2), Samsonova (20), Keys (15)