Rome draw: Swiatek, Rybakina on opposite halves; Andreeva to face Badosa

5m read 06 May 2024 1y ago
Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek - Stuttgart 2024
Jimmie48/WTA

The 2024 Internazionali BNL d'Italia draw has been released, with No.1 seed Iga Swiatek

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.

For the second consecutive WTA 1000 event, Swiatek is projected to face No.3 Coco Gauff

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at the same stage. At last week's Mutua Madrid Open, Sabalenka edged Rybakina in three sets before falling to Swiatek in a 3-hour, 11-minute final thriller.

Last year, Rybakina and Swiatek met in the quarterfinals, with Swiatek retiring at 2-2 in the third set with a right thigh injury. The pair have met twice this year; Swiatek triumphed 7-6(8), 6-2 in the Doha final, and Rybakina came out on top in the Stuttgart semifinals 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Rybakina leads the overall head-to-head 5-3.

The Top 32 seeds all receive byes in the 96-player draw. Noteworthy first-round matches include Mirra Andreeva

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for the first time. Former World No.1s Naomi Osaka
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and Angelique Kerber are also unseeded as they continue their comebacks from maternity leave. Osaka faces
Clara Burel
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, with the winner to meet No.19 seed Marta Kostyuk
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. Kerber takes on
Lauren Davis
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, with the winner to meet No.17 seed Veronika Kudermetova
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.

Click here to view the full draw. Here's how the quarters of the draw break down.

First quarter

Swiatek, the champion in Rome in 2021 and 2022, will bid to become the sixth player in the Open Era to lift the trophy three times (following Chris Evert, Gabriela Sabatini, Conchita Martínez, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova). She will open against either Guadalajara finalist Caroline Dolehide

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Swiatek is slated to face No.31 seed Sloane Stephens, who won her first red clay title in Rouen two weeks ago, in the third round. In the fourth round, she is projected to meet No.14 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova

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, 2016 runner-up
Madison Keys
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, the No.18 see, and No.12 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia
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, who took Swiatek to three sets in the Rome quarterfinals.

A first-round match to circle is Italian No.4 Martina Trevisan

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, a battle that promises a passionate atmosphere. The winner will face Stephens. Former US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez
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could meet Vondrousova in the second round if she navigates past
Ana Bogdan
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in her opener.

First-round matches to watch: Martina Trevisan

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(KAZ),
Lauren Davis
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(USA) vs. Angelique Kerber (GER), Ana Bogdan
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(ROU) vs. Leylah Fernandez
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(CAN)

Second quarter

Gauff, a semifinalist here in 2021, was the only member of the Top 4 who didn't hold her seed in Madrid. The US Open champion will bid to right that in Rome, opening against fellow 2004-born American Ashlyn Krueger

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. Former Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova
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, the No.25 seed who has struggled with illness and injury this year, is her projected third-round opponent.

No.15 seed Liudmila Samsonova

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.

No.7 seed Zheng Qinwen, Gauff's projected quarterfinal opponent, is bidding to win consecutive matches for the first time since February. The Australian Open runner-up will face either Shelby Rogers or wild card Lisa Pigato in the second round and is scheduled to meet No.29 seed Linda Noskova

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.

First-round matches to watch: Mirra Andreeva

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(ESP), Naomi Osaka
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(JPN) vs.
Clara Burel
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(FRA)

Third quarter

Rybakina, a three-time titlist this year already, will open her title defense against either Irina-Camelia Begu

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in what would be a rematch of the Miami final, which Collins won 7-5, 6-3.

Champions Reel: How Elena Rybakina won Rome 2023

2019 semifinalist Maria Sakkari

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in the third round, and her potential fourth-round opponents include Italian No.1 Jasmine Paolini
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, the No.11 seed, and 2013 finalist Victoria Azarenka
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, the No.24 seed.

Dubai champion Paolini could face off against Azarenka in the third round.

First-round matches to watch: Petra Martic

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(EGY),
Diane Parry
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(FRA) vs. Anna Blinkova
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Fourth quarter

In contrast to her success in Madrid, Sabalenka has advanced past the third round of Rome only once -- a semifinal run in 2022. Her bid to add to that will start against either Wang Yafan or a qualifier. No.32 seed Dayana Yastremska

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No.16 seed and two-time Rome champion Elina Svitolina

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and Amanda Anisimova
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. No.8 seed Ons Jabeur
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, the 2022 runner-up, is scheduled to meet Sabalenka in the quarterfinals. The Tunisian will start against either Italian No.2 Lucia Bronzetti
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or former Australian Open champion
Sofia Kenin
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.

No.9 seed Jelena Ostapenko

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or Wang Xiyu, and is projected to meet Jabeur in the fourth round.

First-round matches to watch: Sofia Kenin

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(ITA),
Anastasia Potapova
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vs. Wang Xiyu (CHN),
Sara Errani
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(ITA) vs. Amanda Anisimova
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(USA)