Another two-week combined event is already underway in Rome, with first round ATP action, and both first and second round WTA action, scheduled for Friday.
Six-time champion Novak Djokovic is the top seed in Rome, after skipping the Madrid Open as he limits his playing schedule. Both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are absent from Rome due to injuries, though the rest of the top 10 men in the world are all present in the men’s singles draw.
Nine of the top 10 women in the world are also in Rome, with Jessica Pegula being the only exception. Recent Madrid champion Iga Swiatek is atop the women’s singles draw, and is a two-time champ at Foro Italico.
Thursday’s play is headlined by Swiatek, alongside 10-time champion Rafael Nadal. Plus, Major champs Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka will also be in action on Thursday.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s two most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule. Thursday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.
Zizou Bergs (Q) vs. Rafael Nadal (PR) – Not Before 1:00pm on Center Court
Is Nadal ready to build upon his exciting run in Madrid? Historically, losing in the fourth round of a Masters 1000 tournament on clay would be an extremely disappointing result for Rafa. But in what is all but certainly his final year on tour, that was a good result for a physically compromised King of Clay. He is 6-3 this year, and this fortnight may very well be his last at a Masters 1000 event.
Bergs is a 24-year-old from Belgium ranked 108th in the world. On the surface, he seems like a pretty good first round draw for Nadal. However, Zizou advanced to back-to-back Challenger finals last month on clay, winning one of them. He also won a Challenger title on clay last season. And Bergs has already won two qualifying matches this week. The ATP published a brief profile on Zizou here, which includes the background as to why he spent three months hitting nothing but a slice on his backhand.
In what is not surprisingly a first-time career meeting, I still lean towards Nadal as the favorite. Facing Rafa on clay remains one of the sport’s most intimidating concepts, especially for an unexperienced player at tour level.
Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Bernarda Pera (Q) – Not Before 7:00pm on Center Court
Swiatek is now 32-4 on the year, after winning her third WTA 1000 title of 2024 in Madrid. Her victory last Saturday in the championship match over Aryna Sabalenka was epic, with Iga saving multiple match points before winning in a third-set tiebreak. She was also the champion in Rome in both 2021 and 2022, though a year ago she retired during a quarterfinal match against eventual champ Elena Rybakina.
Pera is a 29-year-old American qualifier who has already claimed three matches this week. The left-hander also won three main draw matches at Roland Garros a year ago. Clay is Bernarda’s most successful surface, as both of her career WTA titles have come on clay, which both took place in July of 2022.
Last year in Madrid, Swiatek won their only tour-level matchup by a score of 6-3, 6-2. And as per Tennis Abstract, Iga has won her last 11 matches against left-handed opponents, with her last loss coming nearly two years ago. Swiatek is a big favorite to take her opening match in Rome.
Other Notable Matches on Thursday:
Naomi Osaka vs. Marta Kostyuk (19) – Osaka is a modest 10-8 this season in her comeback from child birth, and is 2-2 on clay after a straight-set win in the first round over Clara Burel. Kostyuk is 19-8 on the year, and achieved her first Major quarterfinal in Melbourne. Their only previous meeting occurred at the 2020 US Open, when Naomi prevailed in three.
Coco Gauff (3) vs. Magdalena Frech – Gauff is 21-7 in 2024, but has underperformed thus far on clay, with a record of 3-2. Frech reached the second week of this year’s Australian Open, yet has a losing record at tour level this season. And Coco is the player who ended Magdalena’s Aussie Open run this past January, comfortably claiming their only prior encounter by a score of 6-1, 6-2.
Thursday’s full Order of Play is here.
