Overview
- Aryna Sabalenka, who beat Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday, reached the Italian Open third round and will play Sorana Cirstea next.
- A mid-match dispute over a clay mark briefly halted play as Krejcikova contested a line call and the umpire asked both players to move on.
- Sabalenka also asked officials to dim a bright digital advertising board that she said was in her line of sight while returning serve.
- OptaAce put her WTA-1000 win rate at 74.8% after the victory, a figure that tops Ash Barty’s mark and trails only Maria Sharapova and Iga Swiatek since 2009 in these top-tier events below the Grand Slams.
- Off court, her call for players to consider boycotting the Grand Slams over prize-money distribution drew support from Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, a stance that could add pressure on major tournaments with Roland Garros approaching; elsewhere, defending champion Jasmine Paolini advanced, and Matteo Berrettini’s loss to Alexei Popyrin will drop him out of the top 100.