The number one ranking will once again be in play at the 2019 #InternazionaliBNLDItalia with Naomi Osaka and defending finalist Simona Halep vying to be the top seed at the upcoming French Open. Two-time defending champion Elina Svitolina will have another chance to extend her winning streak in Rome, with the possibility of a third consecutive Svitolina - Halep final being possible.
Serena and Venus Williams make their return to the red clay courts for the first time since last year and with clay-court maestro Kiki Bertens looking dangerous in the draw, Rome sets up to be one of the best tournaments on the tour.
First Quarter: Osaka lands in a dangerous but favourable section
[1] Naomi Osaka vs BYE
Aliaksandra Sasnovich vs Dominika Cibulkova
Mihaela Buzarnescu vs Jelena Ostapenko
Hsieh Su-wei vs [16] Julia Goerges
[9] Aryna Sabalenka vs Qualifier
Dayana Yastremska vs Carla Suarez Navarro
Qualifier vs [WC] Elisabetta Cocciaretto
BYE vs [6] Kiki Bertens
When you come to Rome, you should not expect any easy draws. And that is what world number one #NaomiOsaka is probably thinking about. The Japanese has shown some exceptional improvements on clay this year, reaching the semifinals in Stuttgart and the quarterfinals in Madrid. Receiving a bye into the second round, she will face either #AliaksandraSasnovich or #DominikaCibulkova, whom she both beat in Madrid last week.
Two players who started 2019 horrifyingly will get a chance to claim a confidence-boosting win in the first round as the struggling #MihaelaBuzarnescu and the inconsistent #JelenaOstapenko meets in the opener. Owning a 5-19 win-loss record ever since injuring her ankle, Buzarnescu never seemed to be the same player. Ostapenko earned a huge 6-2, 6-1 win over Pavlyuchenkova but fell to Bertens in the next round last week in Madrid, though successfully ending her five-match losing streak.
16th seed #JuliaGoerges, who was struggling with some health issues towards the end of April, was finally back healthy in Madrid last week although her lack of match practice was evident as she fell to the dangerous Kuzmova in straight sets. She faces the tricky #HsiehSuwei in the opening round, and it will be a tough match for the German who has not beaten a top-50 player since February.
Ninth seed #ArynaSabalenka also has been one of the underperforming stars recently, failing to claim any good confidence-boosting wins as her game seems to be hitting a wall lately. The hard-hitting Belarusian is 1-2 on clay this year, and never looked convincing as the clay season seems to be a period which she could hardly wait to be over. Thankfully for her, she faces a qualifier in the opening round which could provide her with the form she desperately needs.
#DayanaYastremska and #CarlaSuarezNavarro clashes in contrast of playing styles. Yastremska was plagued by some tough draws in her last tournaments, and this is not an exception considering Suarez Navarro is a former finalist here in Rome. The Spanish’s game suits the red dirt well and hence she loves the surface and has historically done well on this tricky surface.
Local wildcard #ElisabettaCocciaretto will make her WTA debut as the aspiring junior’s opening hurdle would be a qualifier. If she were to get past the tough test, she will get the chance to play one of the best in the business currently — sixth seed #KikiBertens. Bertens’ rise to the top has been exceptional and she continues to demonstrate her abilities with a run to the Madrid final for the second consecutive year.
Receiving a bye into the second round, Bertens could get extra rest ahead of the tournament which could once again mean that the rest of the field is in huge danger once more. Many would list the Dutchwoman as one of their favourites for the title and with this draw, she may just walk away with the title on Sunday.
Prediction: Bertens d. Osaka
Second Quarter: Halep and Serena set for a blockbuster
[3] Simona Halep vs BYE
Marketa Vondrousova vs Barbora Strycova
Qualifier vs Daria Kasatkina
Katerina Siniakova vs [15] Wang Qiang
[10] Serena Williams vs Qualifier
[WC] Venus Williams vs Elise Mertens
Johanna Konta vs Alison Riske
BYE vs [7] Sloane Stephens
#SimonaHalep, who seems to be the one dominating the clay season this year, has received a very tricky draw. If she were to defend her finalist points from last year, the Romanian has to battle past some big-hitters in this packed quarter. Receiving a bye into the second round, she will face a Czech in her first match and it will already be a highly-anticipated one. #MarketaVondrousova and #BarboraStrycova, two good friends, will battle for the berth to play Halep and it is notable that Vondrousova had beaten Halep earlier this year already.
#DariaKasatkina, who seems to be gradually refinding her form on clay, has received a rather soft draw much to the delight of her fans. The Russian faces a qualifier before meeting the winner of #KaterinaSiniakova and 15th seed #WangQiang. Siniakova is in poor form right now, but can she find the magic to beat her higher-ranked opponent?
10th seed #SerenaWilliams plays in her first tournament since injuring her knee in Miami. The American will be playing her first non-Major clay event since 2016, and her first opponent will be a qualifier. However, her second round is slated to be much tougher. She will face the winner of the intriguing clash between the dangerous #EliseMertens and her sister #VenusWilliams.
Mertens, who won the biggest title of her career in Doha, has underperformed outside of that tournament with an 8-12 record. However, Venus’ last top-20 win on clay came back in 2017 as well. No matter who grabs the win, that second-round clash with Serena is certainly one not to be missed.
It will be a rematch of their first-round encounter in Madrid as #JohannaKonta faces #AlisonRiske once more. Konta, who has vastly improved her footwork and shot choice on her least preferred surface, has beaten Riske a week ago but this time the American will be looking to exact revenge. The winner will get to face seventh seed #SloaneStephens, who recorded her best result of the year in Madrid with a semifinal finish.
After a slow start to the year, Stephens found her form in Madrid as she ousted Azarenka en route to the last four. The American is defending finalist points at Roland Garros a fortnight later, hence she needs to find some form entering the second Major of the year.
Prediction: Halep d. S. Williams
Third Quarter: Defending champion Svitolina looks to survive tough draw
[5] Elina Svitolina vs BYE
[WC] Victoria Azarenka vs Zhang Shuai
Zheng Saisai vs Garbine Muguruza
Danielle Collins vs [11] Caroline Wozniacki
[13] Madison Keys vs Qualifier
Sofia Kenin vs [WC] Jasmine Paolini
Qualifier vs Ajla Tomljanovic
BYE vs [4] Karolina Pliskova
Talk about the tough luck for two-time defending champion #ElinaSvitolina. Desperately needing some match practice before Roland Garros, the Ukranian had just returned onto the tour after a lingering knee issue and looked nowhere near her best during a poor loss to Parmentier in Madrid last week. Defending 900 points, she has to produce another deep run for any chance to secure a top-eight seeding in Paris. Just when time seems to be running out, it turns out there are four Major champions and former world number ones awaiting Svitolina in the same quarter.
Svitolina could already face a huge challenger in her first match. Wildcard #VictoriaAzarenka faces #ZhangShuai and is the overwhelming favourite in that clash, hence it is highly possible for the Ukrainian to face the former world number one to kickstart her campaign having never beaten her previously.
#GarbineMuguruza, a former Roland Garros champion currently on a three-match losing streak, will open her campaign against the grinder #ZhengSaisai. Zheng has troubled many top players on clay previously and had won the WTA 125k title in Anning just weeks ago. Muguruza, who is on the verge of dropping out of the Top 20 if spectacular results do not follow, will look to mount a deep run in Rome.
#DanielleCollins and #CarolineWozniacki, two players who definitely do not list clay as their favourite surface, will battle it out in the opening round amidst Wozniacki being under an injury cloud after sustaining a lower back injury in Madrid. The Dane defeated the American in the first round of Roland Garros last year.
13th seed #MadisonKeys has been rather inconsistent this year, or perhaps throughout her career. The big-serving American is defending semifinal points in Roland Garros but lost her last two matches with both losses coming against players ranked outside the top-80. Nonetheless, an encouraging fact could be her triumph in Charleston, where she beat three seeded players to claim her first title since 2017. She first plays a qualifier, before a possible meeting with compatriot #SofiaKenin who herself had a decent year thus far.
Fourth seed #KarolinaPliskova has a decent draw although it will start getting tougher from the quarterfinal onwards. Her first opponent could potentially be #AjlaTomljanovic but the Czech’s form is under some fire currently — losing her opening match in Stuttgart where she was the defending champion before being stunned by world number 85 Kozlova in Madrid.
Prediction: Azarenka d. Kenin
Fourth Quarter: Kvitova, Barty, Bencic drawn into the same quarter
[8] Ashleigh Barty vs BYE
Viktoria Kuzmova vs [WC] Sara Errani
Caroline Garcia vs Qualifier
Belinda Bencic vs [12] Anastasija Sevastova
[14] Anett Kontaveit vs Qualifier
Donna Vekic vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Lesia Tsurenko vs Yulia Putintseva
BYE vs [2] Petra Kvitova
Eighth seed #AshleighBarty has only lost to top-10 players in 2019 as her successful transition onto clay saw her reach the quarterfinals in Madrid last week. The Australian owns a stunning 23-4 win-loss record this year and is currently ranked top-five in the Porsche Race to Shenzhen. She faces either the hard-hitting #ViktoriaKuzmova, who is one of the brightest rising stars, or veteran #SaraErrani, who has been struggling with her serves lately.
#CarolineGarcia, who excels on clay courts, faces a qualifier and can be a huge danger to other star players this week. She will face the winner of a clash between two top-15 players in the second round, with #BelindaBencic and #AnastasijaSevastova having to battle in the opener. Bencic reached the semifinals of Madrid while Sevastova could never be underestimated hence that could be a cracker.
14th seed #AnettKontaveit is extremely successful on clay, and this time in Rome she will look to cause some damage once more. The Estonian, off a finalist appearance in Stuttgart, will open her campaign against a qualifier before facing either #DonnaVekic or #AnastasiaPavlyuchenkova. Vekic looked to be hampered by an injury last week, being forced to retire in her third round match, while Pavlyuchenkova looked helpless against an on-song Ostapenko.
#LesiaTsurenko and #YuliaPutintseva are familiar foes and they will certainly look to grind each other out in the first round, just for a chance to play second seed #PetraKvitova in the second round. Kvitova will be making her first appearance in the Italian city since 2016 and has received a decent draw with a potential quarterfinal against Barty being highly-anticipated.
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