Rome Open
marks the first time in 11 years that the world No. 1, 2, and 3 will be in the
semifinals of the same WTA event. The second WTA 1000 on clay will feature Iga
Swiatek (No. 1) against
Coco Gauff (No. 3) and
Aryna Sabalenka (No. 2) against
Danielle Collins (No. 15).
The
consistency of WTA players has been criticized, although several of them have
shown good consistency in recent years. It's not surprising that players like
Swiatek, Sabalenka, and Gauff reach the final stages of tournaments, but for
all three to do so in the same tournament is something that hasn't happened
since the 2013
French Open.
The last
time the top 3 reached the semifinals of a WTA event
Swiatek,
Sabalenka, and Gauff lead the WTA Ranking and have left behind
Elena Rybakina,
especially due to the injuries of the Kazakh which have forced her to withdraw
from tournaments several times, although she remains at No. 4. In fact, this
week Rybakina was defending the title of the 2023 Rome Open, but she was not
physically available to compete in the tournament.
Swiatek (No. 1) and Sabalenka (No. 2) played the final at Madrid Open last week.
The last
time the top 3 managed to reach the semifinals was in the 2013 French Open. The
semifinals saw
Maria Sharapova (No. 2) against
Victoria Azarenka (No. 3), with
the Russian taking the victory 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.
On the other side, Serena
Williams (No. 1) defeated
Sara Errani (No. 5) with a convincing 6-0, 6-1.
Finally, the title went to the American, who secured her second
Roland Garros
by defeating Sharapova 6-4, 6-4.