The 2024 Italian Open in Rome delivered its first slate of dramatic upsets and statement wins on Saturday, as men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner lived up to massive home crowd expectations to launch his bid for a historic title, while two of the women’s top seeds suffered stunning early exits.
Sinner, the 24-year-old Italian carrying the hopes of a nation that has not seen an Italian men’s champion at the Foro Italico since Adriano Panatta lifted the trophy 50 years ago, got his campaign off to a flawless start with a 6-3, 6-4 straight-sets victory over Austria’s Sebastian Ofner. The world No. 1 extended his incredible winning streak to 24 consecutive matches, wrapping up the contest in just 100 minutes in breezy Rome conditions, barely tested against his outmatched opponent. Even two brief stoppages in the second set to treat ill spectators did not disrupt his rhythm, with Sinner even finding reason to smile through the interruptions.
The victory pushes Sinner into the third round, where he will face either Australia’s Alexei Popyrin or Czech teen Jakub Mensik. Buoyed by Sinner’s win, other Italian men also delivered strong results on home soil Saturday: 2023 Davis Cup winner Flavio Cobolli defeated France’s Terence Atmane 7-6(7/1), 6-3, while world No. 64 Mattia Bellucci upset 24th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 to book his spot in the fourth round. With last year’s champion Carlos Alcaraz sidelined from the tournament, Sinner enters the event as the heavy favorite to go one step further than his 2023 run, where he fell to Alcaraz in the final, and notch a record-extending fifth straight Masters 1000 title.
Several other men’s story lines unfolded Saturday: former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev received a walkover into the third round after his scheduled opponent Tomas Machac withdrew from the tournament due to an unspecified illness, pushing back Medvedev’s opening match. Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered a shock second-round exit, falling to world No. 44 Mariano Navone of Argentina in straight sets 7-6(7/4), 7-6(7/5).
The biggest story of the day, however, came on the women’s side, where world No. 1 and pre-tournament favorite Aryna Sabalenka was ousted in a stunning third-round upset by Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. The result marks Sabalenka’s earliest tournament exit since the 2023 Qatar Open, and ends her bid for a first Italian Open title in Rome. Sabalenka started the match with a blistering first set, but dropped her level dramatically as the match went on, visibly frustrated by her performance and hampered by physical discomfort that forced her to call a medical timeout for lower back and left hip issues. The injury concern casts uncertainty over her fitness ahead of the French Open, scheduled to start later this month in Paris.
For Cirstea, the upset marks the first win over a reigning world No. 1 in her 18-year professional career. She will advance to face Linda Noskova in the fourth round.
Sabalenka’s early exit was followed by another upset of a home favorite: defending women’s champion Jasmine Paolini saw her title defense end in the third round at the hands of Belgium’s Elise Mertens, who claimed a 4-6, 7-6(7/5), 6-3 come-from-behind win. Paolini, who came into the match holding three match points on Mertens’ serve in the second set, failed to convert any of her chances, dropped the tiebreak, and could not recover her momentum in the decider. The result will push Paolini out of the women’s top 10 world rankings, extending her current slump that has seen her fail to reach the fourth round in four consecutive tournaments.
Not all top seeds fell Saturday: reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff battled past Argentina’s qualifier Solana Sierra in a three-set thriller, 5-7, 6-0, 6-4, to advance to the next round and keep her Italian Open title bid alive.