PREVIEW | WTA Rome Open 2025 – Quarterfinals: Gauff looks to book her spot in the semis against Andreeva, while Sabalenka aims to keep her dominance over Zheng Qinwen

The 2025 WTA Rome Open enters its most thrilling stage with the remaining two quarterfinal matches set to take place. Aryna Sabalenka will be aiming for a spot in the semifinals as she takes on Zheng Qinwen. On the other side, Coco Gauff will try to maintain her strong clay-court form in her clash against the young prodigy Mirra Andreeva.

The Italian clay will host two blockbuster encounters this Wednesday that promise to keep everyone on the edge of their seats. The Foro Italico has already seen its share of excitement during this 2025 edition, and as the tournament nears its conclusion, the tension in the Italian capital reaches its climax.

Let’s take a closer look at the two matchups that will close out the quarterfinal stage and set the semifinal clashes for this coming Friday:

The showdown between Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka and China's Zheng Qinwen stands out as one of the most intriguing matches, serving as a rematch of the 2024 Australian Open final. The power of the three-time Grand Slam champion has proven too much for “Queen-Wen” in the past, but the story could be different on clay.

Sabalenka has been dominant throughout 2025—at least up until the finals—where she has faced little resistance, reaching six title matches in eight tournaments played so far this season.

Across the net will be Qinwen, who has struggled to replicate her stellar 2024 form. She’s battled with inconsistency and has bowed out early in most events this year. However, she seems to be rediscovering the level that earned her Olympic gold in Paris 2024, having defeated several top players on her way to the quarterfinals in Rome.

This will be the 7th meeting between the two, with Sabalenka dominating the head-to-head 6–0. Will the Chinese star be able to turn the tide tomorrow at the Foro Italico?

American star Coco Gauff has raised her game during this European clay swing, showing a completely different version of herself compared to earlier in 2025, when she suffered surprising losses at Indian Wells and the Miami Open. The 2023 US Open champion arrived in Rome fresh off a runner-up finish in Madrid and has established herself as one of the most dangerous players on clay this season—and the best American on tour. With Swiatek’s early exit, Gauff is poised to move up the rankings and become Sabalenka’s closest chaser next week.

Her opponent will be Russian teen sensation Mirra Andreeva, who has gone from being a promising prospect to a breakout star in 2025, winning back-to-back WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells. Andreeva’s versatile game also translates well to clay, as she showed last year by reaching the semifinals at Roland Garros.

The most recent meeting between the two came just over a week ago in the Spanish capital, where Gauff dominated with a commanding 7-5, 6-1 win. But the 18-year-old Andreeva will be eager to erase that defeat when they face off again tomorrow at the Foro Italico.