Roman formality?

Sabalenka returns to Rome with a very clear motivation. She lost to Baptiste in the quarterfinals in Madrid, a result she herself considers a bump in the road, and she responded immediately against Krejčíková yesterday: 6–2 6–3 in 86 minutes, dominant on serve, 74.8% win rate in WTA 1000s since 2009, a record that has just surpassed Ashleigh Barty’s. She is the world number one, the strongest player on tour on any surface when she plays at her level, and she comes to Rome with the appetite of a woman who has never won this title and knows it.

At 36, Cîrstea is having her best season in a long time. 23 wins and 7 losses overall, a title in Cluj-Napoca, a 2026 clay record of 6 wins and 2 losses, and yesterday a 6–2 6–0 in 55 minutes against Maria. She’s in form, she moves well on this clay, and she had the chance to watch Sabalenka play. But her two 2026 clay defeats are exactly the kind of names spelled Sabalenka, Gauff and company. Against the top 5, Cîrstea’s ceiling is known to everyone, starting with herself.