2024 Rome Open Friday SCHEDULE and PREVIEW featuring Djokovic, Sabalenka, Fritz, Collins and Zverev
Tennis NewsFriday, 10 May 2024 at 12:47
The Friday session at the Rome Open will feature the second round of both the men's and women's draws. Several top favorites of the tournament will debut at the Foro Italico, with defending champion Elena Rybakina and 6-times champion Novak Djokovic among the highlights.
The day is set to take place on Friday, May 10. Our preview looks ahead to some of the top ties and leading storylines ahead of Day Five at the Rome Open and which matches to look out for.
Djokovic begins his journey
The 24-times Grand Slam champion will play only his fourth tournament of the year and second on clay. Djokovic was eliminated in the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters and then decided to withdraw from the Madrid Open. The world No. 1 said he arrives with confidence due to the rest and training time he took and will debut against Corentin Moutet.
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Another contender making his debut is the third seed Alexander Zverev against Aleksandar Vukic. The German suffered early defeats in Monte-Carlo, Munich Open, and Madrid, but he remains one of the players who can show the best level on clay, and with the absence of Alcaraz and Sinner in Rome, he is one of the main candidates.
The Americans will also be in action. In the Grand Stand Arena, Sebastian Korda (24) will face local Flavio Cobolli, and then Taylor Fritz will face the winner of Dan Evans against Fabio Fognini. On one of the adjacent courts, Ben Shelton (12) will face Russian Pavel Kotov.
Sabalenka and Rybakina lead the WTA matches
The 2023 champion Elena Rybakina will play on the central court against Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu. The Kazakh is the 4th seed and comes in great form despite her defeat last week against Sabalenka in the semifinals of Madrid. She has since withdrawn though due to illness. The Belarusian, who lost in the final against Swiatek, will face Katie Volynets in her debut.
Rybakina won the title in 2023
The 11th seed Jasmine Paolini is the highest-ranked Italian player, male or female, in the tournament, and on Friday, she will make her debut against the clay specialist Mayar Sherif. Paolini already won her first WTA 1000 in February in Dubai, and playing in front of her home crowd could make her a dangerous player in the tournament.
Other important women's matches include the 8th seed Ons Jabeur against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and former Rome Open champion Elina Svitolina against the veteran local Sara Errani.
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
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- I love WTA matches. Seek them out as much as possible on youtube and other platforms I already subscribe to. With that in mind, I do not wish to pay $$$ to a notoriously slippery subscription conglomerate sports broadcaster (like SkySports) just for the privilege to watch it and the tnt/eurosport/discovery subscription went from $$ to $$$+ annually in a blink of an eye. With ATP I have been begrudgingly paying xyz tennis only channel and try to catch up on slams elsewhere (pubs, youtube with USO later on games are just as enjoyable to watch and a smart move to upload on their official channel) but they don't cover WTA. I tried another Tennis dedicated channel that advertised originally as broadcasting where I live, but turned out, they took the money, but didn't cover the matches (only fluff/filler value documentaries). I don't understand why it is so hard to not lock the live matches to one broadcaster only refusing so many people who are happy to pay for the privilege just not through that one entry point. WTA is so exciting for the last few years and they really should capitalise on it as much as possible. And I know it is somewhat naive talking without knowing the inner works, but not being able to find any WTA other than youtube (and then only highlights mostly) is just so frustrating.JayJay11-09-2026
- Clearly not AI :-)
AceOfBase11-09-2026 - Oh my God!! Does anyone proofread these pages??? Case in point: However, the question mark over the 32-years-old head......???? No! No! No! However, the question mark over the 32-year-old's head...good grief man, hire a proofreader. This article is rife with errors making some sentences very difficult to read. I had to stop. I am a proofreader hence my disgust.Rapunzel10-09-2026
- Iga needs to make a decision whether she wants to continue the sport of tennis or pursue whatever she has going on in her personal life. One can tell that tennis is no longer an interest of hers. She should retire while she is on top, not when she slides to the bottom of the rankings. She has too much talent to look how she does on the court these days. She looks more like a wild card than a champion.crissy09-09-2026
- Looks like tennis has become a part of the American Oligarchy. As usual, Pegula is given a cupcake draw. With all her money, they have to fixed the draws in her favor in order to raised the trophy.crissy09-09-2026
- Huge win for Ben! He needed this. Amazing that Alcaraz took over four months off and still was able to make the QF’s and take Ben to a fifth set tie break! Insane tennis. Tiafoe vs. Shelton should be a good one too. Americans might finally get their US Open Champion after 23 years!DaveyWavey09-09-2026
- No one else would get away with this but these AMERCANS! It’s the US Open!! In America!! But sure, go off American ;)DaveyWavey08-09-2026
- WOW !!! Her comebacks have been intense. She's Baaaaack!
mandoist08-09-2026 - Don't lay this shitshow on "Americans". It is a long-running Ego trip with WTA allowing these two Elitists 'in need of a Camera' illicit Wildcards. If these two clowns want to "perform" -- then play the qualies.mandoist08-09-2026
- Here we go again…. Different rules for Americans! Especially THESE Americans. Yuck!DaveyWavey07-09-2026
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