Top seed Aryna Sabalenka and fourth seed Coco Gauff successfully navigated their way into the Round of 16 at the Italian Open on Sunday, avoiding the upset bug that claimed three top-five seeds the previous day.
Sabalenka overcame a slow start to defeat former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in just over two hours. The Belarusian created a personal record with 23 break-point opportunities in the match, converting seven of them. After dropping the first set where Kenin broke her three times, Sabalenka found her rhythm and turned the tables in the second set with three breaks of her own.
“I was going really tough on myself,” Sabalenka said post-match. “It was a tough match — she played incredible tennis in the first set. It was a great fight and super happy to get this match.”
Gauff, fresh off her runner-up finish to Sabalenka in Madrid, defeated Poland’s Magda Linette 7-5, 6-3. Despite 24 unforced errors against just nine winners in the first set, Gauff claimed eight of nine points at a crucial 5-5 juncture to take the opener. She eventually closed out the match on her fifth match point.
With second seed Iga Swiatek, third seed Jessica Pegula, and fifth seed Madison Keys all eliminated on Saturday, Sabalenka emerges as the clear favorite for the Rome title. Next up, she faces Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who defeated Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-2, while Gauff will meet former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
In another notable result, Canada’s Bianca Andreescu upset 11th seed Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-4 to continue her progress in the tournament.