Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek have been through to the Rome Open quarterfinal, while Naomi Osaka’s promising run ended in the round-of-16 at Foro Italico.
On Monday, the first in action was four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, who was playing against a top-10 opponent for the first time since launching her comeback. Unfortunately for Osaka – who previously won three matches in straight sets in Rome – she had no answer for Zheng Qinwen as the seventh-ranked Chinese ousted her with a 6-2 6-4 scoreline.
Gauff, seeded at No. 3, also didn’t start her Rome match well against former world No. 2 Paula Badosa. But down a set, 2023 US Open champion Gauff managed to find her way back into the match and ultimately seal a 5-7 6-4 6-1 win over Badosa.
In a match between two multiple Grand Slam champions, Swiatek defeated Angelique Kerber 7-5 6-3. Although Swiatek ended up winning in straight sets, Kerber made the current world No. 1 work hard before sealing a win.
In the Rome quarterfinal, Gauff will face Zheng while Swiatek plays against Madison Keys.
How Osaka lost to Zheng?
After getting broken in the very first game of the match, Osaka responded instantly and broke back Zheng in the following game. But recovering…
