Jasmine Paolini’s defence of her Italian Open title is over after the home favourite was beaten in the third round by Elise Mertens on Saturday. Paolini, who won both the singles and doubles titles in Rome last year, lost 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 in front of a disappointed home crowd, with a string of unforced errors proving costly.
The result means the 30-year-old will drop out of the world’s top ten, having now failed to reach the fourth round in four consecutive tournaments. Her defeat was particularly painful given she had three match points at 6-5 in the second set, only to lose the next two points of the tie-break and never recover.
Coco Gauff, who lost to Paolini in last year’s final, also had a tricky afternoon, needing over two hours to beat Argentina’s Solana Sierra. The world number four has struggled on clay this season and faces a tough draw, with world number one Aryna Sabalenka on the same side.
All eyes now turn to Jannik Sinner, who plays later on Saturday against Austria’s Sebastian Ofner. The Italian is looking to extend his remarkable run of five consecutive Masters 1000 titles and win 24 matches in a row on home soil. No Italian man has won at the Foro Italico since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago, and with Carlos Alcaraz absent, Sinner is the heavy favourite to go all the way.
