Rome 2025: Dates, draws, prize money and everything you need to know

3m read 4d ago

Jimmie48/WTA

Next week, the Hologic WTA Tour continues the highlights of its clay-court swing with a second consecutive WTA 1000 event, the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, Italy.

One of the most storied events on the calendar, the tournament in the Italian capital began in 1930 and will be celebrating its 82nd edition this year.

Rome: Draws | Scores | Order of play

As usual, a packed player field will be headed to the grounds of the Foro Italico to vie for the championship. Sixty-eight of the Top 70 players in the PIF WTA Rankings will be part of a 96-player singles draw.

The two-week event starts main-draw play on Tuesday, May 6, leading up to the singles final on Saturday, May 17 and the doubles final the following day. The singles champion will pocket over 877,000 Euros and 1000 ranking points.

Let's break down some of the key facts arounf the next top-tier event on the schedule:

Main-Draw Start Date: Tuesday, May 6
Singles Final: Saturday, May 17, not before 5 p.m.
Doubles Final: Sunday, May 18 at 12 p.m.
Qualifying Dates: Monday, May 5 and Tuesday, May 6
Main-Draw Ceremony: Monday, May 5 at 11 a.m.
Singles Main-Draw Size: 96 players (including 12 qualifiers and 8 wild cards); first-round byes for the 32 seeds
Doubles Main-Draw Size: 32 teams
Time Zone: Central European Summer Time (BST +1, EST +6)
Tournament Ball: Dunlop Fort Clay Court

Some notable storylines to keep an eye on in Rome:

Defending champion Iga Swiatek has been the top player in Rome this decade. She is a three-time champion at the Foro Italico, taking the title in 2021, 2022 and 2024 -- and she won the 2021 final 6-0, 6-0 over Karolina Pliskova. Swiatek's overall win-loss record at the event is 20-2 (90.9 percent win rate).
If Swiatek can win the event for a fourth time, she would tie Serena Williams, Conchita Martinez and Gabriela Sabatini for the second-most Rome titles. The record-holder, though, is Chris Evert, who hoisted the trophy in Rome five times (1974-75, 1980-82).
Aryna Sabalenka will come into Rome for the first time as the World No. 1, and she is also this year's tour-leader in main-draw match-wins. Entering last year's edition, Sabalenka's record in Rome was under .500, but she made it all the way to her first Internazionali BNL d'Italia final before falling to Swiatek.
Elina Svitolina won back-to-back Rome titles in 2017 and 2018 and her current form certainly has her contending for a third. Svitolina started 9-0 at WTA Tour clay-court events this year (18-0 in sets) until her run was ended by Sabalenka in the Madrid semifinals.
Another former champion returning to Rome is Elena Rybakina. She is outside of the Top 10 for the first time since January 2023, but she has posted a 10-2 record at this event, winning the title in 2023.
Coco Gauff will try to keep her momentum going on the dirt. The American dismissed Swiatek 6-1, 6-1 in the Madrid semifinals to make her first clay-court WTA 1000 final, and she will try to match that result in Rome. Gauff made the semifinals here in 2021 and 2024, losing to Swiatek both times.
Jasmine Paolini will contest her home event for the first time as a Top 10 player. Paolini has only won two matches in her five main-draw appearances at Rome, and she suffered a first-round loss to Mayar Sherif last year. Since then, though, Paolini has become a two-time Grand Slam finalist, at 2024 Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Jason Juzwiak