Aryna Sabalenka’s Twitter profile hits all the important marks:
Professional Tennis Player. Love to smile. Passionate about winning. Have a sweet tooth!!!
Note those exclamation points.
The world knows May 5 as Cinco de Mayo, what has become a celebration of Mexican-American culture, but it is also the anniversary of Sabalenka’s birth. On Thursday in Rome, the Internazionali BNL D’Italia presented Sabalenka with a cake adorned with chocolate frosting and red candles in the shape of 24.
Hair still wet from a shower after practice, Sabalenka cut a small piece of the cake, laughed and said, “Looks tasty. OK, I’ll take this one.”
Rome 2022: Draw | 411 | Scores | Order of play
And comically made off with the rest of the cake. She could probably use a good laugh about now. It was one year ago that she symbolically took the cake, recording the biggest win of her career in Madrid. Sabalenka beat No.1 Ashleigh Barty in three rousing sets and won that Hologic WTA 1000 Tour title – and found something in her game that led to a career-high No.2 ranking later that summer.
But after losing a first-round match at this year’s Mutua Madrid Open to Amanda Anisimova, Sabalenka is again looking for that mojo. She’s one of three Top 10 players who posted a disappointing result in Madrid and needs to succeed in Rome. The good news? Internazionali BNL D’Italia, where play runs Monday through Sunday, is the second of back-to-back WTA 1000s – the perfect place to build momentum heading into Roland Garros.
Rome preview
- Halep's faith in Mouratoglou; Raducanu, Andreescu on their upcoming match
- Dates, draws, prize money and everything you need to know
- Swiatek back in action, Andreescu to face Raducanu in first round
As you read this, Sabalenka and Karolina Pliskova have had 10 days since losing their first match in Madrid. It’s been a full week since Garbiñe Muguruza departed in the second round. They should be ready to go; they’ve been practicing in Rome for days. Incredibly, none of the three has a winning record this year. Their total is 18-21.
No.4 Aryna Sabalenka
2022 record: 10-10
Troubling statistic: She’s the WTA’s runaway leader with 187 double faults; Paula Badosa is next, with a distant 112. Early in the season, this was a huge issue and cost Sabalenka matches. Double faults are as good a measure of confidence as anything, and it’s clear Sabalenka isn’t operating with the self-assurance we saw last year.
What went wrong in Madrid: Those double faults crept back into her game (eight) and Anisimova broke her serve five times on the way to a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory.
Why Rome could provide a spark: Sabalenka’s history in Rome isn’t great. She’s won only a single match in three appearances, falling to Coco Gauff in last year’s Round of 16. But if you’ve followed Sabalenka’s career, you know that her success can turn on a dime. Last year in Rome she was coming off back-to-back finals appearances in Stuttgart and Madrid and was playing her 13th match in 25 days. Sabalenka receives a first-round-bye in Rome and plays the winner of wildcard Martina Trevisan and Zhang Shuai.
No.7 Karolina Pliskova
2022 record: 2-5
Troubling statistic: Pliskova has played only 17 sets of competitive tennis this year following an offseason gym accident that resulted in a broken arm. After sitting out the Australian summer, she turned 30 in March and lost her first matches back in Indian Wells and Miami, to Danka Kovinic and Anna Kalinskaya, respectively.
What went wrong in Madrid: She ran into a fellow Czech, Marie Bouzkova, who was coming off two qualifying wins and scored a 6-4, 7-5 first-round win. Pliskova’s serve was constantly under threat and ultimately was broken four times.
Why Rome could provide a spark: She loves this venue. Pliskova has actually been to the past three finals at Foro Italico, winning the title in 2019, and losing to Simona Halep and Iga Swiatek in 2020 and 2021. That works out to a 13-2 record over the past three years, a comforting thought as the 2021 Wimbledon finalist tries to shake off the rust. The best way to do that is by winning matches. The first one, after a bye, comes against the winner of Madrid semifinalist Jil Teichmann and Jasmine Paolini.
No.9 Garbiñe Muguruza
2022 record: 6-6
Troubling statistic: Muguruza has won back-to-back matches only once this year, when she reached the quarterfinals in Doha. She’s played only three matches in two months, following an injury to her left shoulder.
What went wrong in Madrid: After defeating Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round, Muguruza fell to No.37-ranked Anhelina Kalinina 6-3, 6-0 – in 75 minutes. She won only 56 percent of her first serves, 36 percent of her seconds and was 0-for-6 in break-point opportunities.
Why Rome could provide a spark: Like Pliskova, this will be a welcome change of location. While Madrid – the biggest stage for a Spanish player – admittedly causes her nerves to fray, Rome is an exceedingly happy place for Muguruza. She was a semifinalist in 2016, 2017 and 2020. She was 19 years old in 2013 when she won two qualifying matches before losing in the second round to Maria Sharapova. Muguruza’s overall record is a sparkling 16-8. First up after a bye is the winner between two qualifiers.
