Iga Swiatek aims to win her fourth career Italian Open this year. She has won three in the last four years, including in 2024, and her title defence is off to a positive start. The Polish international needs to win this WTA 1000 event to narrow the huge gap between her and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the singles rankings.
Speaking of Sabalenka, she is the most in-form WTA player right now. The Belarusian international has yet to win the Italian Open so far in her career, but she seems to be on her way after coasting through the opening match yesterday.
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff was pushed early in the opening round, but she managed to move on to the next round. The young American must be on her A-game since she is doing double duty, competing in the women’s doubles alongside new partner Alex Eala.
Recap latest Italian Open 2025 highlights, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Swiatek looking like the tournament favourite
Last Thursday, Iga Swiatek whacked Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-0 to begin her title defence at Foro Italico in style. The 23-year-old needed only 52 minutes to secure her place in the third round. Swiatek won 51 of the 71 total points played, including 28 of 35 on her own serve, and she never faced a single break point.
Her win against Cocciaretto is her 18th straight victory in Rome in straight sets and was her ninth washout set at the tournament. Swiatek now has 33 “bagels” in WTA 1000 events, level with Victoria Azarenka for the most ever. Thursday also marked her 27th consecutive win in opening matches at WTA 1000 events – a run that started in the 2022 Qatar Open. Only Martina Hingis (40), Monica Seles (29), and Lindsay Davenport (28) have longer streaks than Swiatek.
The world No. 2 has yet to win a tournament this year, though she qualified for the quarter-finals in each of her eight tournaments. Swiatek previously made it to the semi-finals of the Madrid Open but suffered a demoralising straight-sets defeat to Coco Gauff.
Swiatek will take on Danielle Collins in the third round, and the Italian Open 2025 odds are in her favour. The Pole has a commanding 7-1 lead in her head-to-heads with the 31-year-old American international.
Gauff survives early test
Coco Gauff had to work harder than usual to defeat Victoria Mboko 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 and book her berth to the third round. Gauff needed one hour and 43 minutes to secure the Round of 32 win.
After Gauff broke Mboko at love for a quick 2-0 edge on Friday, it looked like Gauff was due for another routine win. However, her Canadian counterpart surprised her by forcing multiple errors, including back-to-back double faults at 5-3, and Mboko put away a netcord forehand to claim the opening set.
Gauff showed her composure in the following set by reducing her unforced errors from 18 in the first to only seven in the second. The world No. 3 broke the qualifier four times in the second set and cruised to the third set to deny an upset. Gauff finished the match with 25 winners compared to Mboko’s 13. She also converted nine of her 13 break points.
The 23-year-old has twice reached the Italian Open semi-finals in 2021 and 2024, losing to Iga Swiatek on both occasions. Gauff hasn’t lost a match to a player outside the Top 100 since the first round of 2023 Wimbledon against Sofia Kenin. She will face Magda Linette, with whom she has a 2-1 edge in the head-to-heads, in the third round tomorrow.
Sabalenka asserting her dominance in clay courts
Aryna Sabalenka continues to make strides on clay. She now has a 10-1 record on clay courts in 2025 following a 6-2, 6-2 win over Anastasia Potapova in the Italian Open Round of 64.
Sabalenka came into this match in high spirits since she won the Madrid Open last week. She had a smooth performance against her Russian opponent, landing 70-per cent of her first serves, winning 80-per cent of those points, and striking 18 winners. Once a one-speed player, Sabalenka displayed her much-refined game by hitting Potapova with some sublime drop shots while her defence remained impenetrable.
Sabalenka is on a mission to thrive on clay courts. She came one win shy of the Italian Open title last year, and her last two trips to Paris have ended on a whimper, including the 2024 Roland Garros quarter-finals where she lost to Mirra Andreeva in three sets while feeling ill.
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