The Hologic WTA Tour`s clay-court swing continues next week with a significant event, the Internazionali BNL d`Italia, a WTA 1000 tournament held consecutively in Rome, Italy.
This renowned tournament, a prominent feature on the tennis calendar, originated in the Italian capital in 1930 and is set to celebrate its 82nd edition this year.
As is customary, a robust lineup of players will gather at the Foro Italico to compete for the championship. The singles draw will comprise 96 players, featuring 68 of the current Top 70 athletes in the PIF WTA Rankings.
The tournament spans two weeks, with main-draw matches commencing on Tuesday, May 6. The singles final is scheduled for Saturday, May 17, followed by the doubles final the subsequent day. The champion in singles will earn a prize exceeding €877,000 along with 1000 ranking points.
Here are some essential details regarding this upcoming premier event:
- Main-Draw Matches Begin: Tuesday, May 6
- Singles Final: Saturday, May 17 (starts after 5 p.m.)
- Doubles Final: Sunday, May 18 (at 12 p.m.)
- Qualifying Rounds: Monday, May 5 and Tuesday, May 6
- Main-Draw Ceremony: Monday, May 5 (at 11 a.m.)
- Singles Draw Size: 96 players (includes 12 qualifiers and 8 wild cards); the 32 seeded players receive first-round byes.
- Doubles Draw Size: 32 teams
- Time Zone: Central European Summer Time (which is BST +1, EST +6)
- Official Tournament Ball: Dunlop Fort Clay Court
Ranking Points and Prize Money Distribution:
First round: 10 points | €13,150
Second round: 35 points | €21,215
Third round: 65 points | €38,313
Round of 16: 120 points | €66,110
Quarterfinals: 215 points | €124,700
Semifinals: 390 points | €240,380
Finalist: 650 points | €456,735
Champion: 1000 points | €877,390
Key narratives and players to follow in Rome include:
- Defending champion Iga Swiatek has established dominance in Rome this decade, having won the title three times (2021, 2022, 2024). Her victory in the 2021 final against Karolina Pliskova was a decisive 6-0, 6-0 win. Swiatek holds an impressive 20-2 overall record at the event (a 90.9 percent win rate).
- If Swiatek claims her fourth Rome title, she will match the achievement of Serena Williams, Conchita Martinez, and Gabriela Sabatini for the second-highest number of titles. The record is held by Chris Evert, who won the trophy five times (1974-75, 1980-82).
- Aryna Sabalenka arrives in Rome as the current World No. 1 and is also leading the tour in main-draw victories this year. Before last year`s event, Sabalenka`s record in Rome was below .500, but she reached her first Internazionali BNL d`Italia final before being defeated by Swiatek.
- Two-time Rome champion Elina Svitolina, who won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, is in strong form. Svitolina had an undefeated 9-0 start on clay-court WTA events this year (18-0 in sets) until her streak was ended by Sabalenka in the Madrid semifinals.
- Another former champion, Elena Rybakina, returns to Rome. Although she is outside the Top 10 for the first time since January 2023, she boasts a 10-2 record at this event, having won the title in 2023.
- Coco Gauff will seek to maintain her momentum on clay. The American decisively defeated Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 in the Madrid semifinals to reach her first clay-court WTA 1000 final and will aim to replicate or better that result in Rome. Gauff previously reached the semifinals here in 2021 and 2024, losing to Swiatek on both occasions.
- Jasmine Paolini competes in her home tournament for the first time as a Top 10 player. Paolini has only secured two main-draw wins in her five previous appearances in Rome, including a first-round exit to Mayar Sherif last year. However, since then, Paolini has become a two-time Grand Slam finalist, reaching the finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2024.
Rupert Caldwell