The Hologic WTA Tour’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the fifth WTA 1000 event of the season, will be held in Rome for two weeks starting on May 9. A 96-player singles draw and a 32-team doubles draw will be played across 12 days. World No. 1 and two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek, along with No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, are among the leading players in the expanded field.
The tournament, also known as the “Italian Open,” will take place on outdoor red clay at the Foro Italico in Rome. It is the final WTA 1000 before the French Open, which begins on May 28. The Dunlop Fort Clay Court ball will be used in the tournament, and both singles and doubles finals will be played on May 20.
Swiatek, who is already 9-0 on clay this season, is aiming for a historic third consecutive Rome title. Meanwhile, No.3 Jabeur, who reached the final last year, is battling injury woes and race against the clock to be ready for Rome and Roland Garros. Krejcikova and Rybakina are also looking to regain their form after struggling to measure up on clay so far this season.
The prize money and ranking points for the tournament start at €7,828 and 10 points for the first round and culminate in €521,754 and 1000 points for the champion. The draw ceremony will take place on May 7, and the opening round will begin on May 9.
Only two players, Chris Evert and Conchita Martinez, have managed to sweep Rome in three consecutive years, and Swiatek aims to join their elite group. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Veronika Kudermetova defeated Gabriela Dabrowski and Giuliana Olmos 1-6, 6-4, [10-7] in last year’s doubles final. The event has been extended from seven to twelve days to accommodate a larger player pool with the Roland Garros, the season’s second slam, looming three weeks away.
