Kalinskaya's stunning escape against Siniakova
The match of the day belonged to Anna Kalinskaya, who produced one of the most dramatic comebacks in recent WTA history against Katerina Siniakova. After dropping the opening set 6-4, the 22nd seed found herself on the brink of elimination repeatedly throughout an epic three-hour encounter, saving nine match points before converting her very first. Siniakova, playing with a taped-up thigh, appeared to have the match in hand when she served for it at 5-3 in the third set, but Kalinskaya elevated her game to extraordinary levels on the pressure points, playing with an aggression and precision that left little room for error. The turning point came with Siniakova serving at 5-4 - the Czech repeatedly caught her ball toss, drawing boos from the Roman crowd that visibly unsettled her rhythm. Two errors followed, and suddenly the match was back on serve. Kalinskaya showed a rare level of emotion throughout - unusual for a player typically composed to the point of stoicism in singles - and channelled it into some of her best tennis when it mattered most. She won 30 of 49 serve pressure points across the match, a testament to her ability to hold nerve under relentless pressure. The victory was as much about mental fortitude as shot-making, and it sets up a fascinating third-round encounter in Rome.
Basiletti's fairytale run reaches the second round
The feel-good story of the opening rounds in Rome belongs to Noemi Basiletti, the 20-year-old from San Vincenzo ranked 427th in the world, who defeated Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5, 6-4 to reach the second round of a WTA 1000 event for the first time. Basiletti's path to this point has been remarkable - she earned a wildcard into qualifying through pre-qualifying, then won three consecutive matches against top-100 opponents: Emiliana Arango (ranked 85th), Daria Snigur (95th), and now Tomljanovic (88th). The match against the Australian was split across two days after a rain delay on Wednesday evening, with Basiletti leading 5-3 in the first set at the stoppage. Tomljanovic levelled at 5-5 upon the resumption on Thursday, but the young Italian held her nerve to take the set 7-5 and then broke decisively in the second. The final game was a drama in itself - 18 points, three match points, with Tomljanovic saving the first with a forehand volley and Basiletti missing a backhand on the second before a Tomljanovic volley sailed long to end it. Her reward is a meeting with seventh seed Elina Svitolina, the two-time Rome champion who carries a 22-7 main tour record in 2026. Basiletti, who cited Jessica Pegula as the player she most identifies with for her tactical vision, said she simply wants to enjoy the occasion.
Paolini survives home pressure against Jeanjean
Defending champion Jasmine Paolini put her home crowd through nearly three hours of tension before eventually defeating qualifier Leolia Jeanjean 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4. The Italian's performance was a study in extremes - she struck 54 winners but also committed 57 unforced errors in a match that oscillated wildly between brilliance and frustration. Paolini broke serve three times in the opening set and served for it at 5-3, only to see Jeanjean break back each time, and the ninth seed looked visibly shaky as the set slipped away in the tiebreak. Jeanjean, who was playing with a heavily taped thigh, deserves credit for making this as difficult as it was. Paolini's form has been a concern for some time now - she has not won in straight sets since February - and the title defence she needs to stay inside the top 10 looks like an uphill battle at this stage. Her ability to win 20 of 31 serve pressure points showed she can still fight through adversity, but the margins were thin. She faces Elise Mertens in the third round. This victory despite circumstances and not perfect performance can be a boost in the stressful title defense quest after slow start of the season, as it's just 10th match victory of Paolini in 19 encounters played in 2026.
Andreeva cruises to season-leading 27th win
Mirra Andreeva made quick work of Antonia Ruzic, needing just 66 minutes to secure a 6-1, 6-0 victory that extended her remarkable clay-court form. The eighth seed looked fresh and light despite her deep run to the Madrid final just days earlier, totally outplaying Ruzic with a level of precision that made the scoreline feel almost inevitable - even though the Croatian was not playing badly. Andreeva's second serve proved particularly effective on the Roman clay, and she converted six of 12 break points while winning 15 of 24 return pressure points. It was a clean display from Andreeva who scored 18 winners to just 6 unforced errors throughout whole match. Ruzic who was able to defeat Elena Rybakina earlier this season, had no much to say with just 7 winner and 9 unforced errors there. The 19-year-old improved her record against players ranked outside the top 50 this season to a perfect 14-0, and now shares the season win lead of 27 victories with Elena Rybakina. She faces Viktorija Golubic in the third round.
Sabalenka navigates through Grand Slams champs encounter
Aryna Sabalenka has met Barbora Krejcikova in the most stellar match-up of first round with four Grand Slam titles earned during last 5 years between both. The Czech comes back to play after three months long lay-off due to injury issues and made into second round after defeating Elsa Jaquemot in straight sets. Krejcikova has started very well with break gained in the opening game, but despite a slow start, Sabalenka clicked the gear relatively quickly. Krejcikova has helped with that, committing 5 double faults in first three games, making it even 7 at the end of the match. The Belarusian has consequently executed her gameplan, keeping Krejcikova deep in the court with powerful groundstrokes. The world number one has utilized this tactics with variety of dropshots and also playing very well at the net. 26 winners scored in that match also underlined a strong start of Rome campaign for Sabalenka who ultimately won by 6-2 6-3. For Krejcikova, there are lots of positive takeaways from this match though, as she was able to stay in many rallies against the player to beat in the field despite rustiness caused with a long break.
Gauff advances past determined Valentova
Coco Gauff overcame Tereza Valentova 6-3, 6-4, though the scoreline flattered a performance that was anything but smooth. The fourth seed was broken four times and committed seven double faults, looking tense at times in what was only her opening match in Rome. Valentova, who arrived in the city at 9 p.m. Tuesday after completing high school graduation exams in Prague, showed she can compete at this level but ultimately lacked the firepower to trouble Gauff's defence consistently. Gauff's experience in the big moments proved the difference - she won 24 of 38 serve pressure points - but there is clearly room for improvement if she wants to go deep here. She faces the winner of Sierra vs Kalinina in the third round on Saturday.
Oliynykova through after Tauson retires
Oleksandra Oliynykova advanced to the third round when 18th seed Clara Tauson retired with a back injury while trailing 6-1, 3-1. It was the third mid-match retirement of 2026 for the Dane, who has played just 17 matches this season and returned to competition only seven weeks ago after her previous retirement against Katie Boulter in Miami. Tauson recently revealed she has been playing with back pain since the US Open 2025, and the situation is beginning to draw comparisons to the chronic issues that derailed Paula Badosa's career for an extended stretch. The 21-year-old was clearly limited from the outset, and Oliynykova took full advantage - the Ukrainian converted four of five break point opportunities and won nine of 16 return pressure points before Tauson was forced to stop. Oliynykova, who thrives on slow clay, faces Linda Noskova in the third round.
Friday preview
Friday matches complete the second round action with top seeds of bottom half starting their Rome campaign. Madison Keys comes back on competitive court after one month of break. Elena Rybakina plays against Maria Sakkari - the player who was a constant top 10 player for a few consecutive years. Sakkari has won against Lilli Tagger in first round, stopping the rot of three consecutive first round exits since last year's Roland Garros. Rybakina wants to bounce back after the defeat to Anastasia Potapova in Madrid - only second before quarterfinals in 2026. Iga Swiatek is another resurgent after her disappointing exit in Madrid, withdrawing midmatch against Ann Li due to illness. Caty Mcnally is her opponent, the only opponent who took away the set from Swiatek in last year's Wimbledon run.
E. Rybakina (2) vs. M. Sakkari match preview
I. Swiatek (4) vs. C. McNally match preview
Rybakina's conqueror from Madrid who was the sensational lucky loser making into semis in Madrid, faces Karolina Muchova in probably the most high quality anticipated match-up of Friday. Potapova was a finalist in WTA 500 Linz as well. Muchova - once upon a time the runner-up of Roland Garros has played once on clay in 2026, making into final of Stuttgart. Another successful player on that surface also plays tomorrow as Jessica Pegula - the winner from Charleston and 5th seed, faces Zeynep Sonmez.
K. Muchova (11) vs. A. Potapova (Q) match preview
J. Pegula (5) vs. Z. Sonmez match preview
The Australian Open 2025 champion has started her clay courts season in Charleston with an impressive run into semifinals. Keys faces her compatriot Peyton Stearns who performed her best WTA 1000 run here in Foro Italico last year, being a surprising semifinalist which means the world number 49 defends loads of points in this tournament. Another American - Ann Li, plays against Liudmila Samsonova in the only meeting between both players ranked in top 30 of WTA list. Samsonova was the finalist in Strasbourg last year, while Li scored an upset over Iga Swiatek in last tournament in Madrid and came back from 1-6 down in first set to defeat Shuai Zhang in Rome's opening round.