The entry list of the Internazionali d’Italia in Rome is now out, and the good news is that Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams are confirmed to play.
Serena and Naomi decided to take a long break from tennis. Serena Williams played her last match against the Japanese number 1 at the recent Australian Open, where she lost in the semi-final. Later, Serena was meant to be back to competition on the occasion of the Miami Open, but she was stopped by oral surgery. The 23-time slam champion is confirmed to play again on the WTA Tour in Rome.
Naomi Osaka played her last match in the Miami Open’s quarterfinals, when she lost 6-0 6-4 to an in-form Maria Sakkari. Osaka was meant to be back to competition and play her first tournament on clay in Stuttgart, but eventually she decided to postpone her return and play only on the occasion of the Madrid Open that will start from the 26th of March. After playing in Spain, Naomi will compete in Rome.
The entry list
The entry list in Rome is quite glorious with the presence of all the top tennis players. The leader of the draw will be Ashleigh Barty that will be among on the top favorites to win the title.
Here the full entry list.
2 Osaka, Naomi (JPN)
3 Halep, Simona (ROU)
4 Kenin, Sofia (USA)
5 Svitolina, Elina (UKR)
6 Andreescu, Bianca (CAN)
7 Sabalenka, Aryna (BLR)
8 Williams, Serena (USA)
9 Pliskova, Karolina (CZE)
10 Kvitova, Petra (CZE)
11 Bertens, Kiki (NED)
12 Bencic, Belinda (SUI)
13 Muguruza, Garbiñe (ESP)
14 Brady, Jennifer (USA)
15 Azarenka, Victoria (BLR)
16 Swiatek, Iga (POL)
17 Mertens, Elise (BEL)
18 Konta, Johanna (GBR)
19 Sakkari, Maria (GRE)
20 Vondrousova, Marketa (CZE)
21 Martic, Petra (CRO)
22 Muchova, Karolina (CZE)
23 Rybakina, Elena (KAZ)
24 Keys, Madison (USA)
25 Kerber, Angelique (GER)
26 Kontaveit, Anett (EST)
27 Jabeur, Ons (TUN)
28 Riske, Alison (USA)
29 Kudermetova, Veronika (RUS)
30 Putintseva, Yulia (KAZ)
31 Vekic, Donna (CRO)
32 Yastremska, Dayana (UKR)
33 Pegula, Jessica (USA)
34 Alexandrova, Ekaterina (RUS)
34 Zheng, Saisai (CHN) SR
35 Gauff, Cori (USA)
36 Kuznetsova, Svetlana (RUS)
37 Kasatkina, Daria (RUS)
38 Krejcikova, Barbora (CZE)
39 Anisimova, Amanda (USA)
40 Pavlyuchenkova, Anastasia (RUS)
41 Zhang, Shuai (CHN)
Naomi Osaka in 2021
Ranked no.2, Osaka played her last match on the 31st of March when she was overcome by world no.19 Maria Sakkari 6-0 6-4 in the quarter in Miami (draw).
During this season Naomi has achieved a 12-1 record. Osaka conquered 1 title at the Australian Open.
Serena Williams in 2021
Now ranked no.8, Serena played her last match on the 18th of February when she surrendered to world no.2 Naomi Osaka 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal of the Australian Open (draw).
This season Serena Williams has managed to achieve a 8-1 record. Serena Williams’s best achievement of the present year was getting to the semifinal in Melbourne and at the Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams played each other 4 times. Their record is 3-1 for Osaka. The last time they played each other, Naomi Osaka won 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in Melbourne (Australian Open) on the 18th of February 2021.
You can watch the highlights in the following video.
Ashleigh Barty in 2021
Ranked no.1, Ashleigh played her last match on the 9th of April when she was defeated by world no.62 Paula Badosa 6-4 6-3 in the quarter in Charleston (draw).
Currently, during this year Barty has a 16-3 record. Ashleigh has won 2 titles in 2021 in Melbourne and in Miami.
Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams |
| Embed from Getty Images |
