The
schedule for Thursday, May 16th of the
Rome Open has been revealed. The ATP
draw will determine the last two semifinalists of the bracket, while in the
WTA, the last four competitors will vie for a spot in the final.
Our
preview
looks ahead to some of the top ties and leading storylines ahead of Day Ten at
the Rome Open and which matches to look out for.
Hurkacz
takes on Paul, Tsitsipas faces
tough challenge from Jarry
The day
kicks off with the 7th seed
Hubert Hurkacz (No. 9) facing off against the last
remaining American male competitor,
Tommy Paul (No. 16). The Pole has achieved
his best results on hard courts, but has adapted well to the conditions at the
Madrid Open, having defeated three clay specialists along the way, including
the 10-time champion Rafael Nadal (No. 305), and the Argentinians Tomas Martin
Etcheverry (No. 28) and Sebastian Baez (No. 19).
On the
other hand, Paul has had a great tournament without dropping a set, spending
just four hours and 24 minutes on court so far. The American had never before
reached the quarterfinals of a clay-court Masters 1000, but achieved it this
time by defeating the 2023 champion Daniil Medvedev. This will be their third
encounter against Hurkacz, with a head-to-head record of 1-1 so far, although
both previous matches were on hard court.
The second
men's duel will feature
Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 8) against the Chilean Nicolas
Jarry (No. 24). The Greek comes in at an impeccable level and is seen by many
as the top candidate for the title, following straightforward victories over
strong rivals like
Cameron Norrie (No. 30) and
Alex De Minaur (No. 11).
Tsitsipas boasts a 13-2 record on clay this year and recently clinched his
third Masters 1000 title at the
Monte-Carlo Masters.
Stefanos Tsitsipas conquered his 3rd Masters 1000 title at Monte-Carlo a month ago
Facing him
is a formidable opponent in Jarry. The Chilean leads the head-to-head 3-2 and
is one of the most powerful players on the tour, both from his forehand and in
his serve, posing a significant challenge for Tsitsipas. Despite this, the
Greek defeated him in their only clay-court encounter and comes in with greater
confidence, considering that Jarry had lost three consecutive times in the
first round before reaching Rome, and has yet to face a top-30 opponent at the
Foro Italico.
Swiatek and
Gauff clash in Rome as Collins seeks redemption against Sabalenka
The Polish
player, recently crowned champion of the Madrid Open, easily defeated Madison
Keys 6-1, 6-3.
Iga Swiatek (No. 1) is in her 16th WTA 1000 semifinal out of 30
main draws entered (53.3%), and has reached 75 clay victories out of 85 WTA
matches in her career (88.2%).
She will
face
Coco Gauff (No. 3), who secured a good victory against world No. 7 Zheng
Qinwen with a score of 7-6, 6-1. The American now faces the opponent who has
caused her the most trouble in her career, with a poor record of 1-9 against
the Polish player. Swiatek will be the clear favorite in their first encounter
of the year, aiming to secure her spot in the final of Rome, a stage she has
reached twice before (2021, 2022), winning the title on both occasions.
Gauff has won 61 matches in WTA 1000 events so far. She holds the record for victories before turning 21 years old, surpassing Caroline Wozniacki (60).
The
Thursday session will conclude with a rematch between Sabalenka and Collins two
weeks after their encounter in the Madrid Open. The American was on an
incredible streak of 15 consecutive wins and two titles, but Sabalenka
delivered a spectacular performance to eliminate Collins in the Round of 16
with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The defeat
in Madrid did not affect the level of play Collins has exhibited since then. In
Rome, she has won four consecutive matches without dropping a set, including
victories against rivals like
Caroline Garcia (No. 23) and
Victoria Azarenka
(No. 24).
On
Sabalenka's side, she comes into the match after defeating the former French
Open champion
Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-4. The two-time Grand Slam champion is
the second player to reach 10 or more WTA 1000 semifinals since the start of
the 2020 season, second only to Iga Swiatek (16). The
Belarusian leads the head-to-head against Collins 5-0 and will be slightly
favored against the American.
Schedule - 2024 Rome Open
Centre Court
(7) Hubert Hurkacz (POL) v (14) Tommy Paul (USA)
(1) Iga Swiatek (POL) v (3) Coco Gauff (USA)
(6) Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) v (21)
Nicolas Jarry (CHI)