Italian Open: Medvedev advances via walkover; Paolini’s title defence ends

Rome: Daniil Medvedev received an early boost in his campaign at the Italian Open after Czech player Tomas Machac withdrew from the tournament due to illness on Saturday. The withdrawal, confirmed by the ATP ahead of the day’s play in Rome, handed former champion Medvedev a walkover into the third round without the Russian needing to step onto court.

Machac, currently ranked world No. 53, had been scheduled to face Medvedev in one of the headline second-round contests at the Foro Italico. Instead, the 2023 Rome champion now advances directly and will face the winner of the clash between France’s Corentin Moutet and Spain’s Pablo Llamas Ruiz.

Coco Gauff recovered from a sluggish start and a third-set scare to defeat Argentina’s Solana Sierra 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 and book her place in the Round of 16 on Saturday.

The third-seeded American was pushed hard by the world No. 72 in a tense third-round clash that lasted two hours and 10 minutes on the clay courts of the Foro Italico. After dropping the opening set, Gauff responded emphatically by blanking Sierra in the second before producing a stirring comeback in the decider to keep her Rome campaign alive.

Gauff had started brightly, racing to a 2-0 lead in the first set, but struggled to maintain consistency as Sierra fought back strongly. The Argentine earned a crucial break in the 11th game and then held serve to close out the opener 7-5, leaving the American visibly frustrated. In a moment that quickly made the rounds on social media, Gauff tapped herself on the head with her racket after conceding the set. The reset proved immediate and effective. Gauff dominated the second set from start to finish, not dropping a single game as she rediscovered her rhythm and overwhelmed Sierra with aggressive returning.

The deciding set, however, brought fresh drama. Sierra surged into a 3-0 lead with back-to-back breaks and looked poised for a major upset. But Gauff, the reigning French Open champion, raised her level at the perfect time, reeling off five consecutive games to turn the match on its head and move within touching distance of victory.

Although Sierra broke back when Gauff failed to convert a match point while serving at 5-3, the American immediately regained control, breaking once more and sealing the contest on her third match point.

Despite committing five double faults and saving only four of the 10 break points she faced, Gauff’s return game proved decisive. She created 22 break-point opportunities and converted eight, repeatedly exposing Sierra’s serve under pressure.

The victory marked Gauff’s 19th career match win in Rome, more than at any other non-Grand Slam event, and moved last year’s finalist one step closer to another deep run in the Italian capital, where she finished runner-up to Jasmine Paolini in 2025.

Jasmine Paolini’s defence of her Italian Open title came to an early end on Saturday after the home favourite was knocked out in the third round by Elise Mertens, as Jannik Sinner bids to continue his record-breaking Masters 1000 winning streak.

Jasmine Paolini’s title defence at the Italian Open 2026 came to a dramatic end on Saturday after Belgium’s Elise Mertens saved three match points to secure a battling 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 victory and advance to the fourth round.

In another major result from the women’s draw, former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko finally overcame Zheng Qinwen after three previous defeats, rallying from a set down to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and continue her strong run in the Italian capital.

Paolini, seeded ninth and backed by a vocal home crowd at the Foro Italico, looked on course to keep her campaign alive after edging a tightly contested opening set and moving within a point of victory in the second. The Italian earned three match points while leading 6-5, but Mertens held firm under pressure before forcing a tie-break, where she completed a remarkable turnaround.

The Belgian carried the momentum into the deciding set and gradually took control as Paolini’s resistance faded after more than two and a half hours of gruelling tennis. The defeat ended the Italian’s hopes of defending the biggest title of her career in front of home supporters.

Mertens has historically enjoyed success against Paolini, having now won five of their seven tour-level meetings. The victory also marked her first win over a top-10 opponent since defeating Jessica Pegula at the same tournament last year. A former Rome quarter-finalist, Mertens once again demonstrated her comfort on the clay courts in the Italian capital.

The match also continued a growing trend on the women’s tour this clay season, with several players escaping from match point down. Rome has already witnessed multiple dramatic comebacks this week, underlining the unpredictable nature of the tournament.

In another clash, No. 13 seed Linda Noskova reached the fourth round for the first time with a straight-sets win over Oleksandra Oliynykova.

Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered a shock second-round defeat at the hands of Argentina’s Mariano Navone, the Canadian losing to his 44th-ranked opponent in straight sets 7-6[4], 7-6[5]. Agencies

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