The top seeds in the women's draw mostly delivered at the Italian Open, though not all victories came easily.
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka put on a commanding display against Barbora Krejcikova in the second round, winning 6-2, 6-3 in just 84 minutes. The Belarusian struck 26 winners against only 13 unforced errors, a remarkable ratio on clay. She was equally dominant on serve, winning 76% of first-serve points. "Happy with the level," she said. Sabalenka will face Sorana Cirstea in round three. The head-to-head now stands at 7-1 in her favor.
Defending champion Jasmine Paolini had a far tougher time. The Italian needed 2 hours and 55 minutes to overcome qualifier Leolia Jeanjean 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 in front of a passionate home crowd. Paolini's stat line told the story of a turbulent afternoon: 54 winners but a staggering 57 unforced errors. After dropping a tight first-set tiebreak, she regrouped to win the final two sets and keep her title defense alive.
Alexandra Eala continued her impressive run by reaching the third round, underscoring the 20-year-old Filipino's growing presence on the clay-court circuit.
On the men's side, Alexander Zverev opened his campaign against Daniel Altmaier in the afternoon session, while Novak Djokovic made his long-awaited return after a six-week absence.
