Alexandra Eala, the only player from the Philippines to appear in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in the Open Era, rallied from a break down in the final set to beat Poland’s Magdalena Frech and advance to the second round in Rome on Wednesday.
Eala stormed through the first set 6-0 before Frech got on the scoreboard. French won the first three games of the second set en route to taking it 6-3 and built a 3-1 lead in the decider. Eala, however, fought back to complete a 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 win in 2 hours, 21 minutes.
The victory was Eala’s 15th main-draw win on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz this season, the most by a left-handed player, and marked her fifth consecutive opening-match win at WTA 1000 events.
She will next meet 31st seed Wang Xinyu, who won their only previous encounter – a three-set victory in the Auckland semifinals in January.
Ostapenko drops one game to set up Anisimova clash
In the first match of the day on Centre Court, former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko delivered a commanding performance to beat Italy’s Lucrezia Stefanini for the loss of just one game.
Ostapenko converted all six of her break-point opportunities and saved all three against her serve to win 6-0, 6-1 in 54 minutes. It marked her first WTA-level completed match dropping just one game since ’s-Hertogenbosch in 2016, and her 17th career win in Rome (her most at a single clay-court WTA event).
A semifinalist here in 2023, Ostapenko will next face sixth seed Amanda Anisimova for a place in the third round. The pair have split their previous two meetings – both in Doha (2022 and 2025). Anisimova will be playing her first match on clay this year after being sidelined since March due to a wrist injury.
Sakkari fights back to reach second round
In one of the most anticipated first-round matches, former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari came from a set and a break down to defeat Austrian qualifier Lilli Tagger 5-7, 6-3, 6-0.
Sakkari, whose best result in Rome was a semifinal run in 2019, will next face No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina. Rybakina has won five of their six previous meetings, although this will be their first clash on clay.
Doubles partners Siniakova, Townsend win singles openers
Top-ranked doubles partners Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend both won their opening singles matches in straight sets. The pair have won the last three WTA 1000 doubles titles (Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid).
Siniakova, ranked No. 39 in singles, defeated last year’s French Open semifinalist Lois Boisson 6-2, 6-3. Townsend, ranked No. 96 and coming through qualifying, beat Italy’s Nuria Brancaccio 6-3, 6-2.
Siniakova will face 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya next, while Townsend will take on 24th seed Marie Bouzkova.
German veterans Maria, Siegemund among other winners
German veterans Tatjana Maria and Laura Siegemund, both 38, were among the other winners on Wednesday. Here’s a list of other first-round results from Wednesday:
- Panna Udvardy def. Alina Korneeva 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
- Tatjana Maria def. Magda Linette 6-0, 6-3
- Leolia Jeanjean def. Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
- Viktorija Golubic def. Federica Urgesi 6-1, 6-1
- Solana Sierra def. Tamara Korpatsch 6-3, 6-1
- Laura Siegemund def. Sara Bejlek 6-4, 6-4
- Peyton Stearns def. Janice Tjen 6-4, 6-4
- Tereza Valentova def. Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-2
