Overview
- Jasmine Paolini, who began her campaign Thursday in Rome, rallied past Leolia Jeanjean 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4 in a two-hour, 55-minute match marked by long rallies and 57 unforced errors.
- The world No. 8 now plays Elise Mertens in the third round, with Mertens leading their tour-level head-to-head 4–2 and having won both of their prior clay meetings.
- World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, 6-3, keeping her push for a first Rome crown on track after a runner-up finish two years ago.
- Coco Gauff defeated Tereza Valentova 6-3, 6-4, reinforcing a women’s field that still includes several top seeds after a steady opening round.
- Italy’s Matteo Berrettini lost 6-2, 6-3 to Alexei Popyrin, a setback that will drop the former Wimbledon finalist out of the ATP top 100 as Daniel Altmaier, who saved two match points against Zhang Zhizhen, moves on to face two-time Rome champion Alexander Zverev.