The first round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia began on Tuesday at the Foro Italico. Although all 32 seeds had byes, notable players took to the courts, including a match between former World No. 2 Paula Badosa and 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva, making her WTA 1000 tournament debut in Rome.
“So for me being able to play three, four more years would be amazing, and of course this year to play the full year, and achieve the highest ranking possible. I don’t like to put numbers, but I would like to be top 30 and top 10 again, would be amazing, but I think top 10 this year is too much after all.” – Paula Badosa
Badosa, whose ranking dropped to 126 due to a back injury since last year’s quarter-finals, secured a significant win after ending her relationship with Stefanos Tsitsipas. A victory was crucial for her seeing as she had dropped below the top 100 after recent losses.
Defending 215 ranking points in Rome, Badosa gained momentum with a 6-2 6-3 win over Andreeva, putting her on the path to improvement. The Spaniard displayed dominance throughout the match, steering clear of falling out of the top 170 with this victory.
Last month, Badosa mentioned on the WTA Insider Podcast that she was taking cortisone injections to manage her physical issues.
Against Andreeva, Badosa played near her peak for an hour and 34 minutes, securing her first win since March. Andreeva, the 2023 WTA Newcomer of the Year, struggled to hold serve, which favored Badosa’s cleaner statistics and successful break points.
Notably, Angelique Kerber cruised to a victory in her opening round, setting up a match against 17th seed Veronika Kudermetova from Russia.
While Andreeva’s compatriot Diana Shnaider advanced to the next round, local wild-cards in the tournament faced mixed results, with one French upset and one local Italian loss.
Romanian Ana Bogdan outplayed Canadian Leylah Fernandez, advancing to meet 6th-seeded Marketa Vondrousova in the next round.
As the main draw continues with more 1st-round actions, players like Naomi Osaka and Sofia Kenin are set to compete on Wednesday in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
Mirra Andreeva (L) shakes hands with Paula Badosa after their match on Day 1 of the Internazionali BNL D’Italia at Foro Italico in Rome
Ana Bogdan took out Leylah Fernandez in straight sets to advance to round 2 in Rome
