Anastasia Zakharova delivered the moment of the day at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, saving seven match points from 1-6 down in the third-set tiebreak to stun Dayana Yastremska 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6). The opening day in Rome also marked a successful return for Barbora Krejcikova, who had not played since February, while Qinwen Zheng overcame an early deficit to extend her perfect record against Anna Bondar. In a meeting of two past Grand Slam champions, Bianca Andreescu beat Sofia Kenin in straight sets for her first main tour win of the season. Wednesday brings more first-round action with Jelena Ostapenko, Katie Boulter and the returning Lois Boisson all in action.
Zakharova completes stunning tiebreak turnaround against Yastremska
Anastasia Zakharova produced the moment of the day at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, coming back from 1-6 down in the third-set tiebreak to beat Dayana Yastremska 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) in a match that defied belief. The Russian saved five consecutive match points to turn a near-certain defeat into one of the most dramatic wins of the season. The tiebreak collapse was extraordinary even by Yastremska's standards. Having dropped just one point on a double fault to that stage, the Ukrainian unravelled completely - seven unforced errors in a row handed Zakharova a victory that looked impossible moments earlier. Zakharova had looked close to tears at 1-6, but somehow composed herself and started returning everything, forcing Yastremska into increasingly desperate swings. The drama did not come out of nowhere. Zakharova had held her own match points earlier, serving for it at 6-5 in the third set, but Yastremska produced two return winners right on the line to force the tiebreak. It made the eventual ending all the more remarkable - having been denied at the finish line herself, Zakharova kept fighting when most players would have folded. The win is a reversal of their Wimbledon meeting last year, where Yastremska had won in a third-set tiebreak.
Krejcikova marks solid return with straight-sets win
Barbora Krejcikova made her first competitive appearance since February count, beating Elsa Jacquemot 6-2, 6-4 in a match where the scoreline only tells part of the story. The former French Open champion looked sharp from the baseline, hitting 44 winners while playing a more patient, constructed game than she has shown in recent outings - mixing in drop shots and net approaches rather than going for big shots too early. The pressure point numbers suggest a tighter contest than the score indicates - Krejcikova had to defend 27 pressure points on serve, saving 17 of those, while creating 21 on the Jacquemot serve. But her break point conversion told the real story of control: she saved 9 of 10 break points faced, only cracking once across two sets. The second set could have been more comfortable had she not lost focus briefly, but she regrouped to close it out. Encouragingly, there was no knee strapping visible and her movement looked fluid - a positive sign as she builds towards Roland Garros. She faces Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday in the battle of Grand Slam champions. The current world number one won 6 out of 7 matches played between both.
Andreescu edges past Kenin in battle of former Grand Slam champions
Two former Grand Slam champions met in a first-round match that felt a long way from their peak years, but it was Bianca Andreescu who found enough in the tank to beat Sofia Kenin 6-4, 7-5 and claim her first main tour victory of the season. The Canadian, playing on a wildcard, had to fight through a wobble in the second set where she was broken twice before putting things together in the closing games to seal the win. It was far from polished tennis from either player. Andreescu's movement still looks limited, particularly when stretched wide to the forehand corner, and her groundstrokes lacked the depth and power that once made her a top-5 player. But her shot selection remained sharp and her serve held up well, offering enough variety to keep Kenin off balance. For Kenin, it was another chapter in what has become a desperately difficult 2026 - the American has now won just 3 of 14 matches this year and slides to 83rd in the live rankings. The win is a meaningful step for Andreescu, who has been quietly rebuilding through the lower levels this year - picking up wins at W35 and W75 events before reaching the final of the Austin 125 in March. She is defending fourth-round points from Rome last year and next faces 12th seed Belinda Bencic, a rematch of their 2019 US Open semi-final.
Zheng fights back against Bondar
Qinwen Zheng extended her perfect 3-0 head-to-head record against Anna Bondar with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback victory that showcased her fighting spirit. The Chinese player, who was ranked in the top five just 11 months ago, found herself in early trouble against Bondar, who had knocked out top-10 player Elina Svitolina in Madrid the previous week. After dropping the opening set and getting back from 2-4 down in a decider, Zheng rallied to win the final four games and close out the match in two hours and 18 minutes. Her serve was the decisive factor, with seven aces helping her maintain pressure throughout the encounter. This marked Zheng's fourth win in 2026 after losing the first set, demonstrating her improved mental resilience this season. The victory also gave her an impressive 11th win in Rome, the most by a Chinese player in the Open Era, as she continues to build on her strong clay court form with a strong credentials including the Olympic Champion title from two years ago. Zheng was in round of 16 at Foro Italico last year, still trying to get into full gears in 2026 season after lingering elbow injury issues. Cristina Bucsa is next opponent for the Chinese in second round.
Wednesday preview
First round matches between unseeded players will be completed on Wednesday which delivers a few really interesting match-ups. Lois Boisson makes a try to come back into competition in a season tormented by injury issues. The sensational last year's Roland Garros semifinalist played just one match in Madrid, easily losing to Peyton Stearns in straight sets. Katerina Siniakova awaits for the French with a solid 9-8 record in 2026 as a tough test for the start. Youngster Tereza Valentova will try to prove her rising clay court credentials against experienced Yulia Putintseva, fighting for the place alongside Coco Gauff in second round's encounter. Katie Boulter looks forward to grind on clay in her successful season so far. The British star faces struggling Eva Lys who has just two main tour wins on her tally in 2026. Anastasia Potapova did not waste too much time after her fairytale run into semifinals as a lucky loser in Madrid. The Austrian has needed to play in qualies again in Rome and made into main draw, playing against Dalma Galfi in first round. Yuliia Starodubtseva will try to build on her fascinating run into final of Charleston, playing against Simona Waltert. Jelena Ostapenko founds herself in unseeded spots for first time since years after dropping down from top 30 of WTA rankings. The Italian plays against home crowd's favorite Lucrezia Stefanini for place in second round.
K. Siniakova vs. L. Boisson match preview
T. Valentova vs. Y. Putintseva match preview
K. Boulter vs. E. Lys match preview
Y. Starodubtseva vs. S. Waltert (Q) match preview