Krejcikova returns with win, Sabalenka clash confirmed in Rome second round: "Always difficult to face Aryna"

Barbora Krejcikova secured a victory in her return to the courts at the Rome Open in the first round after a period away due to injury. The two-time Grand Slam champion produced a convincing win over Elsa Jacquemot by 6-2, 6-4 and secured a Grand Slam champions clash against Aryna Sabalenka in the second round.

The Czech played her first clay-court match of the season and her first match since her appearance at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships back in mid-February. Following her win against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – in a rematch of the 2022 Roland Garros final – Krejcikova has struggled with health issues and injuries that kept her out of competition.

“We didn’t really know how to manage it. It was muscular, not the knee, and we were very happy about that. She had her difficulties and it took time,” commented the former world No. 2 in a press conference from Rome before her debut.

Now with her first clay-court win of the season, the former French Open champion will face a tougher challenge against the world No. 1 in the second round. It will be a particularly complicated debut for Sabalenka, who already in the early rounds must face a top-tier opponent, despite the fact that the Czech has dropped in the rankings to No. 53 currently.

Krejcikova was dominant in the scoreline, although she faced a tough challenge against Jacquemot in her debut. She started the match saving up to 6 break points against her, and it took her several minutes to fully enter the rhythm of the match. However, as the games progressed, Krejcikova showed her clay-court ability to dominate and secured the win 6-2, 6-4 in 1 hour and 47 minutes. She saved 9/10 break points against her, while converting 4 breaks from 9 opportunities.

“Those are big moments, I’m excited. I was out for a while and it was difficult because of the injury,” said a happy Krejcikova after her match against French world No. 64. “I’m happy to be here and playing tennis again. Today I improved game by game. It was a very difficult match for a first round,” Krejcikova said in an on-court interview.

The 2022 French Open champion now awaits a clash against Aryna Sabalenka in the second round. They have played 7 previous matches – with Sabalenka leading the head-to-head 6-1, including a win in their only clay-court meeting at Stuttgart Open 2023.

“I’m happy to be here and play. I hope to improve with each match,” Krejcikova said. She will return to court on Thursday, May 7 at the Foro Italico. “I’ve played Aryna several times. It’s always difficult. I’ve been watching her matches over the last two months. I’m really looking forward to seeing how I am and I hope to be a tough opponent for her.”

Sabalenka, meanwhile, faces her second clay-court tournament and will look to bounce back after a surprising exit in the Madrid Open quarterfinals. The world No. 1 arrived as favourite against Hailey Baptiste but failed to close out a one-set lead, with the American eventually recording the biggest win of her career 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(6), in a match where the Belarusian wasted up to 6 match points.

This time Sabalenka aims to improve her previous performances in Rome, a tournament where her best result is the 2024 final, where she lost to Iga Swiatek. A year earlier, she was eliminated in the quarterfinals, surprisingly beaten by China’s Zheng Qinwen, meaning she is defending a total of 200 ranking points from last year’s campaign.