Wednesday features quarterfinal action from both the men’s and women’s singles draws.
The last two women’s quarterfinals feature four of the top eight seeds, and three former champions of this event. 2024 champ Iga Swiatek plays Jessica Pegula, while 2023 champ Elena Rybakina faces 2017 and 2018 champ Elina Svitolina.
The first two men’s quarterfinals feature none of the top eight seeds, as upsets have wiped out all of the top players on this side of the draw. One quarterfinal is a battle between two former Masters 1000 champions: Karen Khachanov and Casper Ruud. The other quarterfinal includes two new names at this end of a Masters event: Italy’s Luciano Darderi and Rafael Jodar.
Here’s a rundown of the most notable matches on Wednesday (in chronological order, all times local):
Jessica Pegula (5) vs. Iga Swiatek (4) – 1:00pm on Campo Centrale
In her last two matches, Swiatek has been her old self, dropping a total of four games across four sets. She is vying for her first WTA 1000 semifinal on a clay court in over a year. Pegula has not dropped a set through three rounds, and she’s now reached the quarterfinals or better in six of her last seven WTA 1000 appearances. Their head-to-head stands at a very tight 6-5 in Swiatek’s favor, but Pegula has taken their last two encounters, and she took them both in straight sets.
Casper Ruud (23) vs. Karen Khachanov (13) – Not Before 3:00pm on Campo Centrale
Ruud is another player yet to lose a set to this stage, and this is his second consecutive Masters quarterfinal on this surface. Khachanov arrived in Rome with a losing record on the year, but has taken advantage of his draw, where he has not faced a top 50 player. Ruud is 2-1 against Khachanov, with their most famous matchup taking place in the 2022 US Open semifinals, which saw Casper prevail in four sets.
Elina Svitolina (7) vs. Elena Rybakina (2) – Not Before 7:00pm on Campo Centrale
Rybakina crushed fellow big-server Karolina Pliskova in the last round, dropping just two games. She’s yet to be tested during this tournament, and she’s now won 30 matches this season. Svitolina isn’t far behind her, with 26 match wins, and she’s also advanced extremely comfortably to this quarterfinal. This is a rematch from two months ago at Indian Wells, where Rybakina won their semifinal in straights. Overall Rybakina is 4-3 against Svitolina, but she’s 1-2 against her on clay.
Rafael Jodar (32) vs. Luciano Darderi (18) – Not Before 8:30pm on Campo Centrale
Jodar has now accumulated 33 match wins this season at all levels, and is 15-2 on clay. This is his second career Masters quarterfinal, after first achieving this feat just two weeks ago in Madrid, and this is just his fourth Masters appearance. Darderi had never been beyond the third round of a Masters in 18 prior appearances, but on Tuesday at his home country’s biggest event, he upset second-seeded Alexander Zverev, saving four match points. This will be a first-time meeting.
Wednesday’s full Order of Play is here.
