Rome draw: Gauff, Andreeva in same quarter; Osaka to open vs. Errani

Two weeks after facing off in the Madrid quarterfinals, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva could meet at the same stage of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.

Rome: Draws | Scores | Order of play | Tournament info

Gauff, 21, and Andreeva, 18, are the two youngest players in the Top 10. They have both been drawn into the second quarter of the Rome draw, and as the No. 4 and No. 7 seeds respectively are projected to meet in the last eight. Last week, Gauff saved two set points en route to a 7-5, 6-1 victory, her third in three meetings with Andreeva.

Elsewhere, Madrid champion Aryna Sabalenka faces a tough path as she bids to keep her clay streak going. The No. 1 seed will open against either Dayana Yastremska or Anastasia Potapova, and her section includes Sofia Kenin, Leylah Fernandez and Daria Kasatkina ahead of a potential quarterfinal against either No. 8 seed Zheng Qinwen or No. 11 seed Elena Rybakina.

No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek will be aiming to get her season back on track following a Stuttgart loss to Jelena Ostapenko -- her sixth in  six meetings with the Latvian -- and a heavy 6-1, 6-1 defeat at the hands of Gauff in Madrid. Three-time champion Swiatek has thrived in Rome historically, and will hope to rediscover that magic as she opens her title defense against either Elina Avanesyan or local favorite Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

The 32 seeds all have byes into the second round, and will not play until Thursday. There are plenty of big names in first-round action ahead of that, though. Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka, fresh off her first clay-court title at the Saint-Malo WTA 125, will start against beloved Italian veteran Sara Errani. Petra Kvitova will bid for the first win of her comeback from maternity leave against Irina-Camelia Begu, with the winner to face No. 27 seed Ons Jabeur. And Filipina sensation Alexandra Eala, 19, will open against Madrid quarterfinalist Marta Kostyuk.

First quarter

Two years ago, Sabalenka came into Rome on high from winning Madrid -- only to be ousted in her opener by Sofia Kenin. She'll get an unwelcome sense of déjà vu looking at this year's draw, where 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin -- now the No. 31 seed, and with a clay final of her own under her belt in Charleston -- lurks as a potential third-round clash.

Before that, Sabalenka could have to get past Yastremska, the Ukrainian who leads their head-to-head 3-1 (though Sabalenka's one win was here in Rome last year). Potential fourth-round opponents include No. 24 seed Leylah Fernandez -- they have not played since the Canadian scored a memorable upset in the 2021 US Open semifinals -- and Kostyuk, who held set points in both sets in their Madrid quarterfinal meeting last week.

A projected quarterfinal meeting with No. 8 seed Zheng Qinwen would put Sabalenka in more comfortable head-to-head territory. She leads the Chinese player 6-0. But Zheng herself will have to face either fast-rising Olga Danilovic or doubles No. 1 Katerina Siniakova in her opener, then navigate a section that includes former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, 2023 Rome champion Elena Rybakina (the No. 11 seed) and 2019 US Open winner Bianca Andreescu, returning once again from another lengthy lay-off. Rybakina will start against one of this year's most improved players: either Madrid quarterfinalist Moyuka Uchijima or Eva Lys.

First-round matches to watch: Dayana Yastremska vs. Anastasia Potapova, Alexandra Eala vs. Marta Kostyuk, Moyuka Uchijima vs. Eva Lys, Victoria Azarenka vs. Camila Osorio, Katerina Siniakova vs. Olga Danilovic

Second quarter

Gauff's projected quarterfinal against Andreeva would be another marquee match, but both face plenty of hurdles to get there. Andreeva, who has yet to win a match in Rome, will start against either Viktoriya Tomova or a qualifier, with powerful No. 30 seed Linda Noskova potentially awaiting in the third round. She is projected to face No. 10 seed Emma Navarro in the last 16, but the American has a few dangerous names in her path too: former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, returning from a three-month layoff due to a shoulder injury, in the second round; and No. 22 seed Clara Tauson, the Doha runner-up, in the third.

Three of Gauff's five career meetings with Belinda Bencic have come in 2025. A fourth could be on its way this week: the pair could meet again in the Rome third round. Gauff has to get past either wild card Arianna Zucchini or a qualifier first, and returning mother Bencic has to navigate a qualifier and then No. 32 seed Magda Linette. So far, Gauff has won two of their three meetings this year, including in last week's Madrid fourth round.

Gauff is slated to face fellow American and Doha champion Amanda Anisimova, the No. 15 seed, in the last 16 in what would be a rematch of the 2017 US Open girls' final. The pair have split two previous professional meetings -- Gauff winning their only clay-court encounter at Parma 2021 before Anisimova took revenge at Wimbledon 2022. Anisimova will potentially need to get past either No. 21 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova or former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, to whom she has lost twice this year, first. Raducanu will need to defeat a qualifier to set up a second-round meeting with Alexandrova, with whom she has split two 2025 meetings.

First-round matches to watch: Qualifier vs. Belinda Bencic, Qualifier vs. Emma Raducanu, Marketa Vondrousova vs. Wang Xinyu

Third quarter

No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula heads the third quarter, and is slated to face No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini in the last eight. Neither player has gone beyond the quarterfinals in Rome yet. Italian No. 1 Paolini has a tough path to get there: No. 27 seed Jabeur, the 2022 runner-up, is her projected third-round opponent. In the last 16, she could face either No. 12 seed Karolina Muchova -- who withdrew from Madrid due to illness -- or No. 17 seed Jelena Ostapenko, who powered her way to the Stuttgart title three weeks ago.

Both Muchova and Ostapenko have intriguing second rounds ahead. Twelve months after edging Rebecca Sramkova in a thrilling third-set tiebreak in the Rome fourth round, Ostapenko could face a rematch in her opener this year. Muchova, meanwhile, could face Anastasija Sevastova in what would promise to be a feast of finesse. Former No. 11 Sevastova upset Ostapenko en route to the Madrid third round in her second tournament back from injury.

Meanwhile, Pegula will open against either Ashlyn Krueger or a qualifier. She is projected to face Diana Shnaider in the fourth round, the No 13 seed who is rounding back into top form with new coach Dinara Safina -- the 2009 Rome champion -- by her side.

First-round matches to watch: [SR] Petra Kvitova vs. Irina-Camelia Begu, Rebecca Sramkova vs. McCartney Kessler, Lucia Bronzetti vs. [SR] Anastasija Sevastova

Fourth quarter

All eyes will be on whether Swiatek can rebound in one of her favorite venues on tour. The Pole has not made a final since winning Roland Garros nearly a year ago, and has suffered a series of confidence-sapping losses this year.

Her Rome quarter is a mixed bag. Unlike Sabalenka, Swiatek enjoys a head-to-head advantage over most of her main rivals in her section. But plenty of them have scored notable wins over her, or pushed her to the limit. No. 29 seed Danielle Collins, her projected third-round opponent, defeated her in the 2022 Australian Open semifinals and has subsequently stretcher her to three sets on three occasions.

Beyond Collins, Swiatek is slated to face two-time champion and No. 16 seed Elina Svitolina in the last 16. The Ukrainian is fresh off an 11-match winning streak encompassing the Rouen title and Madrid semifinals, and ousted Swiatek in the 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinals. No. 5 seed Madison Keys, who defeated Swiatek from match point down in the Australian Open semifinals and then scored a 6-0 first set over her in last week's Madrid quarterfinals, could be her last-eight opponent.

Keys is projected to face No. 9 seed Paula Badosa in the fourth round, though the Spaniard has been struggling with a recurrence of her back injury and was forced to pull out of Madrid. Osaka -- who held match point on Swiatek at Roland Garros last year -- could well be a dark horse in this section after her run in Saint-Malo.

First-round matches to watch: [WC] Sara Errani vs. Naomi Osaka, Elisabetta Cocciaretto vs. Elina Avanesyan