Just two weeks after their quarterfinal clash in Madrid, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva could potentially face each other again in the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d`Italia in Rome. Gauff, 21, and Andreeva, 18, are the youngest players ranked in the Top 10. Both have been placed in the second quarter of the Rome draw. As the No. 4 and No. 7 seeds respectively, they are projected to meet in the final eight. In their recent Madrid match, Gauff overcame two set points to secure a 7-5, 6-1 victory, her third win in three encounters with Andreeva.
Meanwhile, Madrid champion Aryna Sabalenka faces a challenging path as she aims to continue her strong clay-court performance. The top seed`s opening match will be against either Dayana Yastremska or Anastasia Potapova. Her section of the draw includes potential tough opponents such as Sofia Kenin, Leylah Fernandez, and Daria Kasatkina, before a possible quarterfinal meeting with either No. 8 seed Zheng Qinwen or No. 11 seed Elena Rybakina.
No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek will be looking to regain momentum in her season after recent losses in Stuttgart to Jelena Ostapenko (her sixth defeat in six matches against the Latvian) and a decisive 6-1, 6-1 loss to Gauff in Madrid. Swiatek has historically performed well in Rome, having won the title three times. She will hope to find that form again as she begins her title defense against either Elina Avanesyan or Italian favorite Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
The 32 seeded players benefit from a bye into the second round and will start their campaigns on Thursday. However, several prominent players will be in action during the first round before that. Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka, fresh off winning her first clay-court title at the Saint-Malo WTA 125 event, will face veteran Italian player Sara Errani. Petra Kvitova will attempt to secure her first win since returning from maternity leave against Irina-Camelia Begu. The winner of that match will advance to play No. 27 seed Ons Jabeur. Filipino rising star Alexandra Eala, 19, is scheduled to open against Marta Kostyuk, a quarterfinalist in Madrid.
First quarter
Two years ago, Sabalenka arrived in Rome after winning Madrid but was surprisingly defeated in her first match by Sofia Kenin. She might experience a similar feeling looking at this year`s draw, as the 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin, now the No. 31 seed and with a clay-court final appearance in Charleston this year, poses a potential third-round threat.
Before that, Sabalenka could face Yastremska, the Ukrainian player who holds a 3-1 head-to-head lead against her (though Sabalenka`s single win was in Rome last year). Possible opponents in the fourth round include No. 24 seed Leylah Fernandez, whom Sabalenka hasn`t played since Fernandez`s notable upset victory in the 2021 US Open semifinals, and Kostyuk, who held set points in both sets during their Madrid quarterfinal last week.
A projected quarterfinal clash with No. 8 seed Zheng Qinwen would place Sabalenka in a more comfortable head-to-head situation, leading 6-0 against the Chinese player. However, Zheng must first get past either the rapidly improving Olga Danilovic or doubles World No. 1 Katerina Siniakova in her opening match. She would then need to navigate a section that includes former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, the 2023 Rome champion Elena Rybakina (the No. 11 seed), and 2019 US Open winner Bianca Andreescu, who is returning from another lengthy absence. Rybakina will start against one of the most improved players this year: either Madrid quarterfinalist Moyuka Uchijima or Eva Lys.
First-round matches to watch: Dayana Yastremska vs. Anastasia Potapova, Alexandra Eala vs. Marta Kostyuk, Moyuka Uchijima vs. Eva Lys, Victoria Azarenka vs. Camila Osorio, Katerina Siniakova vs. Olga Danilovic
Second quarter
Gauff`s potential quarterfinal against Andreeva would be another headline match, but both players face significant challenges to reach that stage. Andreeva, who is yet to win a match in Rome, will start against either Viktoriya Tomova or a qualifier, with the powerful No. 30 seed Linda Noskova potentially awaiting in the third round. She is projected to meet No. 10 seed Emma Navarro in the round of 16. However, the American also has tricky opponents in her path, including former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, returning from a three-month shoulder injury layoff, in the second round, and No. 22 seed Clara Tauson, the Doha runner-up, in the third.
Three of Gauff`s five career meetings with Belinda Bencic have occurred in 2025. A fourth could happen this week if they meet in the Rome third round. Gauff must first overcome either wild card Arianna Zucchini or a qualifier, while returning mother Bencic needs to defeat a qualifier and then No. 32 seed Magda Linette. Gauff has won two of their three matches this year, including their fourth-round encounter in Madrid last week.
Gauff is scheduled to face fellow American and Doha champion Amanda Anisimova, the No. 15 seed, in the round of 16. This would be a rematch of the 2017 US Open girls` final. The two have split their two previous professional meetings, with Gauff winning their only clay-court match in Parma in 2021 before Anisimova got revenge at Wimbledon in 2022. Anisimova will potentially need to get past either No. 21 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova or former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, to whom she has lost twice this year. Raducanu must defeat a qualifier to set up a second-round match with Alexandrova, against whom she has also split two meetings in 2025.
First-round matches to watch: Qualifier vs. Belinda Bencic, Qualifier vs. Emma Raducanu, Marketa Vondrousova vs. Wang Xinyu
Third quarter
No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula leads the third quarter and is slated to face No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals. Neither player has advanced beyond the quarterfinals in Rome before. Italian No. 1 Paolini has a challenging route, with No. 27 seed Jabeur, the 2022 runner-up, as her projected third-round opponent. In the round of 16, she could face either No. 12 seed Karolina Muchova, who withdrew from Madrid due to illness, or No. 17 seed Jelena Ostapenko, who recently won the Stuttgart title.
Both Muchova and Ostapenko have intriguing second-round possibilities. Twelve months after a thrilling third-set tiebreak win against Rebecca Sramkova in the Rome fourth round, Ostapenko could face her again in her opener this year. Muchova, meanwhile, could meet Anastasija Sevastova in a match promising finesse. Former World No. 11 Sevastova defeated Ostapenko en route to the Madrid third round in just her second tournament back from injury.
Meanwhile, Pegula will begin her tournament against either Ashlyn Krueger or a qualifier. Her projected fourth-round opponent is Diana Shnaider, the No. 13 seed, who appears to be returning to top form with her new coach, 2009 Rome champion Dinara Safina, by her side.
First-round matches to watch: [SR] Petra Kvitova vs. Irina-Camelia Begu, Rebecca Sramkova vs. McCartney Kessler, Lucia Bronzetti vs. [SR] Anastasija Sevastova
Fourth quarter
All attention will be on whether Swiatek can bounce back at one of her most successful venues. The Pole has not reached a final since winning Roland Garros almost a year ago and has experienced a series of confidence-affecting losses this year.
Her quarter in Rome presents a mixed challenge. Unlike Sabalenka, Swiatek holds a head-to-head advantage over most of her main rivals in her section. However, many of them have achieved significant wins against her or pushed her to her limits. No. 29 seed Danielle Collins, her projected third-round opponent, defeated her in the 2022 Australian Open semifinals and has since forced her to three sets on three separate occasions.
Beyond Collins, Swiatek is slated to potentially face two-time champion and No. 16 seed Elina Svitolina in the round of 16. The Ukrainian is in excellent form, coming off an 11-match winning streak that included winning the Rouen title and reaching the Madrid semifinals. Svitolina also defeated Swiatek in the 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinals. No. 5 seed Madison Keys, who saved a match point to beat Swiatek in the Australian Open semifinals and then won the first set 6-0 against her in the Madrid quarterfinals last week, could be her quarterfinal opponent.
Keys is projected to meet No. 9 seed Paula Badosa in the fourth round, although the Spaniard has been dealing with a recurrence of her back injury and had to withdraw from Madrid. Naomi Osaka, who held a match point against Swiatek at Roland Garros last year, could be a dark horse in this section after her recent success in Saint-Malo.
First-round matches to watch: [WC] Sara Errani vs. Naomi Osaka, Elisabetta Cocciaretto vs. Elina Avanesyan
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth