The WTA-1000 clay court tournament in Rome continued on May 8, 2026, with a full slate of second-round singles matches. The day featured several notable results, including victories for top seeds and some surprising outcomes for higher-ranked players.
Among the day's headline results, second seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan advanced comfortably, defeating Greece's Maria Sakkari in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. Fourth seed Iga Swiatek of Poland also progressed, though she was pushed to three sets by American Katie McNally before prevailing 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3.
Other seeded players to move into the next round included American Jessica Pegula, the fifth seed, who beat Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez 6-4, 6-0. Seventh seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine had a strong performance, defeating Italy's Noemi Bozilotti 6-1, 6-3. American Madison Keys, seeded 17th, came from a set down to beat fellow American Peyton Stearns 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The day also saw some upsets. Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 14th seed, was eliminated by Germany's Laura Siegemund in a three-set battle that ended 4-6, 7-6(4), 1-6. Japan's Naomi Osaka, seeded 15th, had a tougher path but ultimately advanced, overcoming Germany's Eva Lys 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Several other matches went the distance. Russia's Diana Shneider, seeded 19th, rallied after losing the first set to defeat Australia's Talia Gibson 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. Czech Republic's Karolina Pliskova, using a special ranking, outlasted Romania's Jaqueline Cristian in a marathon encounter that finished 6-7(5), 7-6(2), 6-4.
Other winners on the day included Russia's Liudmila Samsonova, who beat American Ann Li 6-4, 6-3, and Switzerland's Rebeka Masarova, a qualifier who upset Canada's Leylah Fernandez, the 25th seed, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Italy's Tyra Caterina Grant, a wildcard, fell to Czech Nikola Bartunkova 6-4, 3-6, 4-6.
The tournament continues to build momentum as the field narrows, with these results setting the stage for the next round of competition on the Roman clay.
Based on reporting from Чемпионат.com.