2024 Rome Open Wednesday SCHEDULE and PREVIEW featuring OSAKA, SHAPOVALOV, KENIN AND MONFILS
ATPWednesday, 08 May 2024 at 09:27
The
schedule for Wednesday, May 8th of the Rome Open, an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA
1000 tournament, has been revealed. The day will be led by former Grand Slam
champions Naomi Osaka and Sofia Kenin, both with matches on the central court
of the Foro Italico. Additionally, the men's matches include Denis Shapovalov
and Gael Monfils.
The
first round of the tournament is nearing completion in both the men's and
women's draws, still awaiting the debut of the top 32 seeds in the next phase.
However, prominent players will be in action.
Tough opponents for the locals on Center Court
The
day kicks off on Center Court with Shapovalov facing local player Luciano
Darderi. The Canadian has fond memories in Rome, reaching the semifinals in
2020 and securing an epic victory over the 10-time champion Rafael Nadal in
2022.
Later,
former world No. 1 Osaka takes on Clara Burel. The Japanese player has never
quite replicated her hardcourt level when playing on clay. A week ago, she
achieved her first clay-court victory of the season at the Madrid Open. Osaka
has not won more than two matches on clay since 2019, with her best result
being the quarterfinals of Rome in that same year.
Other
key matchups on Center Court include Sofia Kenin against Italian player Lucia
Bronzetti, followed by Daniel Evans versus wild card entry Fabio Fognini.
Finally, former French Open finalist Sara Errani faces Amanda Anisimova, a
quarterfinalist in her last appearance in 2022.
Back in 2022, Shapovalov defeated Rafa Nadal (third seed) by 6-2, 7-5 in the Round of 16, one of the best triumphs of his career.
Other notable matches of the day
Frenchman
Gael Monfils will take on Brazilian Thiago Monteiro, who leads the head-to-head
matchup 2-1. Just before Monfils, talented French player Diane Parry faces
Russian Anna Blinkova, who comes into the match with a streak of five
consecutive losses, starting precisely after losing to Parry in Indian Wells.
Former
world No. 8 Diego Schwartzman, who announced his retirement at the end of the
season a few days ago, will face Alexander Vukic. The Argentine was a finalist
in 2020 but fell to Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
Czech
sensation Linda Fruhvirtova faces veteran Tatjana Maria, and later, her
16-year-old sister Brenda Fruhvirtova takes on Taylor Townsend. The day will
also feature Alex Michelsen against Pavel Kotov, Christopher Eubanks versus
Terence Atmane, and Zhizhen Zhang against Daniel Elahí Galan, among others.
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- She can't hide the dropping of sponsors at this point. BTW: Nike reduced their $ponsor$hip last year (people have short memories). Bye, Bye Wilson!
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- Nice article!
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