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Jannik Sinner will be the top seed at a fourth consecutive Grand Slam while Novak Djokovic could be as low as seventh for the clay-court Grand Slam.

Djokovic was the top seed at Roland Garros a year ago, but he lost his No 1 spot in the ATP Rankings after the tournament and has slipped down the list ever since.

Sinner was the man to replace the 24-time Grand Slam winner at the top and nearly a year later the Italian is still sitting pretty at No 1 and will thus occupy first place in the draw sheet for the clay-court major.

The French Open seedings will be based on ATP Rankings on May 19, 2025, and there was one big move behind Sinner as Carlos Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev to the No 2 seeding during the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome and the Spaniard will headline the bottom half of the draw.

Alcaraz won the title last year when he was seeded third behind Djokovic and Sinner.

If the seedings hold, then Zverev will face either Sinner or Alcaraz in the semi-final while he could be paired with Djokovic in the quarter-final.

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Zverev is followed by Taylor Fritz and Jack Draper after the latter secured his highest-ever seeding for a Grand Slam following his recent impressive form.

Djokovic currently occupies the sixth position in the rankings, but he could still drop to No 7 as Lorenzo Musetti (currently eighth) remains alive at the Italian Open.

Musetti faces Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final and if he wins he will climb two spots to No 6, moving ahead of Djokovic and Casper Ruud.

But the top eight for Roland Garros are confirmed as Sinner, Alcaraz, Zverev, Fritz, Draper, Djokovic/Ruud/Musetti will each occupy their own section in the main draw and cannot face each other before the quarter-finals.

Projected French Open men’s singles seeds (Live Rankings May 16)

1. Jannik Sinner
2. Carlos Alcaraz
3. Alexander Zverev
4. Taylor Fritz
5. Jack Draper
6. Novak Djokovic
7. Casper Ruud
8. Lorenzo Musetti
9. Alex de Minaur
10. Holger Rune
11. Daniil Medvedev
12. Tommy Paul
13. Ben Shelton
14. Arthur Fils
15. Frances Tiafoe
16. Grigor Dimitrov
17. Andrey Rublev
18. Francisco Cerundolo
19. Jakub Mensik
20. Stefanos Tsitsipas
21. Tomas Machac
22. Ugo Humbert
23. Sebastian Korda
24. Karen Khachanov
25. Alexei Popyrin
26. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
27. Denis Shapovalov
28. Matteo Berrettini
29. Felix Auger-Aliassime
30. Brandon Nakashima
31. Hubert Hurkacz
32. Alex Michelsen

Daniil Medvedev won’t be among the top-eight seeds of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2019 as he has slipped out of the top 10 while Stefanos Tsitsipas recent poor form means he could face one of the big hitters early in the tournament as he is set to be seeded 20th.

If one of the top 32 players withdraws from the main draw then those below them will move into the seeding positions.

Just outside the top 32:

33. Flavio Cobolli
34. Tallon Griekspoor
35. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard

But there is good news for Cobolli, Griekspoor and Mpetshi Perricard as they could still move up the rankings as they are competing in ATP Challenger Tour events this week and all three are still alive.

The post French Open men’s singles projected seeds: Sinner at No 1, Djokovic could be as low as No 7 appeared first on Tennis365.

Only one Italian Open match remains and it could have a big impact on defending champion Iga Swiatek’s seeding at the French Open.

Four-time Roland Garros winner Swiatek has already had a setback in her seeding as she is guaranteed to slip from No 2 to No 4 in the WTA Rankings after the WTA 1000 event in Rome.

But she could drop to fifth in the standings if Jasmine Paolini goes on to beat Coco Gauff and win the trophy at Foro Italico.

The seedings for the French Open are based on the WTA Rankings on May 19, 2025, and Aryna Sabalenka is assured of being the top seed with Gauff second and Jessica Pegula third, but the fourth and fifth positions will only be decided after the Italian Open final.

Despite her quarter-final exit in Rome, Sabalenka sits comfortably at the top on 10,683 points in the Live Rankings and she is followed by Gauff (6,863/7,213) and Pegula (6,308).

It is the second major in a row where Sabalenka is the top seed as she was also at No 1 at the Australian Open after Swiatek dominated the top spot the previous few years.

Swiatek is currently in fourth place after she failed to defend her WTA 1000 trophy and she has 5,838 points while Paolini is fifth on 5,515, but the Italian will move to 5,865 points if she wins the final.

The other players who will be seeded in the top eight are Mirra Andreeva, Madison Keys and Zheng Qinwen with Emma Navarro and Paula Badosa completing the top 10.

Projected French Open women’s singles seeds (Live Rankings May 16)

1. Aryna Sabalenka
2. Coco Gauff
3. Jessica Pegula
4. Iga Swiatek
5. Jasmine Paolini
6. Mirra Andreeva
7. Madison Keys
8. Zheng Qinwen
9. Emma Navarro
10. Paula Badosa
11. Diana Shnaider
12. Elena Rybakina
13. Karolina Muchova
14. Elina Svitolina
15. Barbora Krejcikova
16. Amanda Anisimova
17. Daria Kasatkina
18. Donna Vekic
19. Ludmilla Samsonova
20. Jelena Ostapenko
21. Clara Tauson
22. Ekaterina Alexandrova
23. Beatriz Haddad Maia
24. Elise Mertens
25. Magdalena Frech
26. Marta Kostyuk
27. Peyton Stearns
28. Leylah Fernandez
29. Linda Noskova
30. Anna Kalinskaya
31. Sofia Kenin
32. Yulia Putintseva

The top eight players can’t face each other before the quarter-finals as they will each be placed in their own section of the main draw for the clay-court major while Sabalenka will headline the top half of the draw and Gauff will go into the bottom half.

The next two (Pegula and one of Swiatek and Paolini) will also be split.

If Swiatek ends up as the fifth seed, she could face one of the top two as early as the last eight.

Fourth or fifth will be the five-time Grand Slam winner’s lowest seeding at Roland Garros since 2021 when she was seeded eighth as she has been the top seed the past three editions.

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Unlike at WTA 1000 events, the seeded players do not enjoy byes in the Grand Slams and they all have to win seven matches to secure the title.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova is set to be seeded 15th, but there are doubts over whether or not she will play as she has not featured so far this year. The Czech is set to play in Strasbourg next week, but it remains to be seen if she will be fit enough.

Just outside the cut

Should any of the players in the top 32 withdraw from the French Open, then the following players are next in line to be seeded:
33. Magda Linette
34. Olga Danilović
35. Ons Jabeur

Meanwhile, Krejcikova is one of eight Grand Slam winners who are set to be seeded with the others being Sabalenka, Gauff, Swiatek, Keys, Rybakina, Ostapenko and Kenin.

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Jannik Sinner produced one of the best performances of his career to beat Casper Ruud 6-0, 6-1 to reach the Italian Open semi-finals, with the victim of this demolition job laughing as he met his opponent at the net.

Sky Sports commentator described Sinner’s display as “some of the best tennis we’ve ever seen” and Ruud struggled to feel disappointed after he was beaten by a flawless display.

Ruud, won the Madrid Masters title earlier this week and is established as one of the giants of the clay courts, was in a philosophical mood as he accepted his fate.

“It’s as near as perfect that I witnessed, at least as a player playing someone. Just got to give it to him,” said Ruud.

“I mean, the first four games, I did maybe a couple unforced errors with my forehand where I went for it, but I missed. Everything else that came out of his racquet and throughout the whole match, as well, feels like a hundred miles an hour plus.

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“Every single shot from the forehand, from the backhand. Even on my shots that I feel at times are pretty heavy, it comes back just firing. It’s just immensely impressive. That’s really all I can say.

“It doesn’t feel so bad honestly. I think it was more fun than anything, even though I lost 6-0, 6-1.

“You just look at the guy and say; this is kind of, yeah, next-level stuff. I don’t know what else to say. It was almost fun to witness at the same time.

“Of course, I wish it was a closer match. I wish I could have given the people and the fans a longer, closer match, but I think that I was there ready to play, but he was just even readier.

“Every area of my good shots he matched with even better back. I couldn’t re-answer with a better shot. That was just the story of the match.”

Sinner insisted he would not get carried away by one perfect performance as he looked ahead to a semi-final against Tommy Paul.

“I felt great on court. I think we all saw that,” said Sinner.

“My goal was trying to understand where my level is this tournament. It raised day by day. So I’m very happy about that. The result doesn’t really matter. But how I felt today was very positive signs for me.

“Everything can change in one day. It’s not that one performance can tell everything of my shape now. But I’m very happy. I think today everything worked very well. I served well. Returned well. Moving great on court. Very happy about that. Let’s see what’s coming in the semis.

“Every one of us has one or two opponents where we struggle a bit more. I tried to replicate what I’ve done in the past today on a different surface. I was hitting very well the ball.

“These conditions… playing at night against Casper is a bit better in my point of view because he can’t make the ball bounce as much. Everything went my favor today. Some net cords. Some lines. The match can change very quickly… if I didn’t serve well at 2-1, we’re even again. Could’ve been a game changer. I’m happy how I handled the situation.”

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Emma Raducanu has added another clay court tournament to her schedule ahead of the French Open and she will have her sights set on a significant rankings breakthrough when the Internationaux de Strasbourg tournament that gets underway on Monday.

Raducanu was reluctant to play in clay court tournaments last year and even decided to pull out of qualifying for the French Open as she prioritised preparing for grass court events in her British homeland.

Her stance has changed in 2025 and after some impressive wins at the Madrid Open and Italian Open, Raducanu has accepted a wildcard into the WTA 500 tournament in Strasbourg.

The 2021 US Open champion will join a strong field in Strasbourg, with Ekaterina Alexandrova is the highest-ranked player to enter the draw in and former world No 2 Paula Badosa is also on the entry list in Strasbourg, but she is also an injury doubt after pulling out of recent events.

World No 35 Danielle Collins has entered to play in Strasbourg and she will be a player to watch after her impressive win against Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open.

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Raducanu could also face Canada’s Leylah Fernandez, in what would be a repeat of the 2021 US Open final that was won by the Brit.

She will fancy her chances of making progress and if she can pick up more momentum in Strasbourg, she could head into the French Open as the British No 1 once again.

Raducanu is just four places behind compatriot Katie Boulter in the live rankings and her decision to enter a WTA 125 event in Paris this week has strengthened her grip on the British No 1 ranking.

Boulter lost her opening match at the Italian Open and decided to play in Paris to get some extra match practice on clay, with wins against Erika Andreeva and Daria Saville boosting her confidence ahead of an appearance at Roland Garros.

Raducanu will get a gauge on how many wins she needs in Strasbourg to take over as British No 1 when Boulter finishes her campaign in Paris, but it looks like a run to the semi-finals at the very least will be needed.

That may seem realistic for a player who is starting to relish the challenge of playing on clay courts, as she confirmed after a defeat against Coco Gauff at the Italian Open.

“I would love to just keep improving, keep playing. I think that’s a positive for me,” said Raducanu.

“I don’t want to go and hide in a hole somewhere, I want to get back out there, so that’s good.

“We’ll see how it goes in the next week before the French, if I get into Strasbourg. But, for now, I’ve played a good 12 days on the trot, so I’m looking forward to a day off or so and then getting back to it.”

Former British No 1 Tim Henman has hinted that All England Club seeding may be in Raducanu’s sights, as she appears to be embracing the challenge of improving her game on clay courts.

“When you reflect on Emma Raducanu’s clay court season so far, I think it’s incredibly positive,” Henman told Sky Sports Tennis.

“The clay courts at Roland Garros are the truest and best clay courts. They are the ones where you can take the ball early.

“I think that will suit Emma more. Her game is moving in the right direction.”

“I think she is around 42 in the live rankings. The number in the back of my mind is 32 pre-Wimbledon. Can she get to be seeded and have protection in the early rounds on grass?”

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The post Emma Raducanu set a demanding rankings target as she looks to seal big climb appeared first on Tennis365.

Iga Swiatek’s three-year stay in the top two of the WTA Rankings will come to an end after the Italian Open while Coco Gauff was the big winner among the top three.

Five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek has endured a nightmare clay-court season compared to her usual high standards as last year she won the Madrid Open, Italian Open and French Open.

The Pole started the 2025 red dirt campaign with 7,470 points, but she failed to defend her semi-final points from last year in Stuttgart as well as her 2024 title in Madrid.

Those dropped points put her under huge pressure ahead of the Italian Open with Gauff and Jessica Pegula on her heels.

WTA Top 10 Before Italian Open

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 11,118 points
2. Iga Swiatek – 6,773
3. Coco Gauff – 6,603
4. Jessica Pegula – 6,243
5. Jasmine Paolini – 4,875
6. Madison Keys – 4,824
7. Mirra Andreeva – 4,781
8. Zheng Qinwen – 4,193
9. Emma Navarro – 3,797
10. Paula Badosa – 3,761

After producing her second-worst performance in Rome following a third-round exit, Swiatek will slip to No 4 in the rankings with Gauff and Pegula moving ahead of her. The Pole is effectively -935 in the rankings.

It is the first time since 2022 that Swiatek will drop out of the top two with Gauff back at No 2 for the first time since August 2024.

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka missed an opportunity to really put a marker down ahead of Roland Garros after losing in the quarter-final against Zheng Qinwen. Sabalenka will drop 435 points as she finished runner-up to Swiatek last year.

Mirra Andreeva is the other player to move up in the top 10 after her run to the quarter-final with Madison Keys down one spot to No 7, but Zheng – who faces Gauff next – could move up to No 7 if she reaches the final.

WTA Top 10 Live Rankings

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 10,683 points
2. Coco Gauff – 6,593 (+1)
3. Jessica Pegula – 6,243 (+1)
4. Iga Swiatek – 5,838 (-2)
5. Jasmine Paolini – 5,255
6. Mirra Andreeva – 4,985 (+1)
7. Madison Keys – 4,620 (-1)
8. Zheng Qinwen – 4,368
9. Emma Navarro – 3,721
10. Paula Badosa – 3,641

Other Big Winners

American Peyton Stearns has reached the semi-final of a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career and she has already earned new career-high as she is guaranteed to rise into the top 30.

The 23-year-old currently sits at No 26 in the Live Rankings following a 16-place surge while she could move up to No 23 if she beats Paolini in the semi-final.

Emma Raducanu also had a decent outing in Rome as she reached the fourth round for the first time before losing against Gauff. The 22-year-old’s three wins has resulted in a seven-place jump to No 42, just two places behind British No 1 Katie Boulter.

Rising star Alex Eala lost in the first round, but she is set to climb six places to a career-high No 64 as several others dropped down the list after failing to defend points from 2024.

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Hailey Baptiste will be one of the biggest risers in the top 100 when the rankings are updated on Monday as she will jump 24 places to a new best of 66 after reaching the round of 32.

Former US Open winner Bianca Andreescu, who is still on the comeback trail following a series of injury setbacks, will climb 19 places to No 102.

Also outside the top 100, teenager Victoria Mboko will move up 24 places to No 132 after the 18-year-old Canadian came through qualifying and reached the second round.

Other Big Losers

Danielle Collins reached the semi-final in 2024 and she ended Swiatek’s title defence in the third round, but she was also a loser in the rankings as she lost her next round. The American will drop 11 places to No 46.

Former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka is projected to slide 15 places to Non 69 after losing in the round of 64.

Maria Sakkari is close to exiting the top 100. The Greek came through qualifying but then lost in the second round with her net result an 11-place drop to No 92.

The post WTA Rankings Winners & Losers Italian Open: Gauff back at No 2, Swiatek’s big slump, Raducanu, Eala rise appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz appears to be reaching peak form ahead of the defence of his French Open title, but former British No 1 Tim Henman has suggested there are weak spots in the Spaniard’s game.

Draper was one win away from climbing up to No 4 in the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career and while the 6-4, 6-4 scoreline may have looked comfortable for Alcaraz, this match could have swung in another direction if Draper had taken his chances.

“Carlos was better tactically and emotionally than me. I sit here very frustrated with my match today,” Draper told Sky Sports Tennis.

“I could have tactically changed a few things better and I think emotionally I was too negative.

“A lot of that is how much tennis I’ve played, but top players bring that out of you, and Carlos was the better player and deserved to win. I’ve got to keep on working on being more physical. It’s a bit more of a chess game on clay and I’m still learning.

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“I am looking forward to going back to Roland-Garros after last year, which was a disappointing one. I feel like I’ve never really played really good, confident tennis there, so I am looking forward to that. I’m hungry to get there and carry on this form on the clay courts.”

Alcaraz now holds a 4-2 winning record against Draper, after the Spaniard suggested he was concerned about the weapons Draper brings onto a tennis court after his defeat against Draper at Indian Wells in March.

Draper can take encouragement that he was competitive against Alcaraz on his favoured clay courts, but Henman believes there are flaws in his game that could undermine his ambitions going into the French Open.

Alcaraz has slumped to some surprising defeats over the last year and Henman believes his occasional dips in concentration are an issue that he needs to address.

“The one area I have reflected on with Alcaraz for some time is shot selection,” Henman told Sky Sports Tennis.

“Shot selection is around concentration, clarity of thought and when I watched him play today [against Draper], it was erratic.

“He does hit some amazing shots, but he throws in a double fault when you are least expecting it and he goes for a crazy shot and misses it.

“For me, there isn’t quite the discipline and intensity at this event. I would expect that to change in a Grand Slam.

“That, for me, is what makes him the favourite on clay, with his movement on clay and his ability to hit those shots at Roland Garros. I think he’ll win the French.”

Henman went on to suggest Alcaraz still has some way to go to match the levels of intensity of the game’s all-time greats, as he mentioned Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal an Novak Djokovic.

“The reality is, the very best have good habits whatever the event,” he added.

“With Alcaraz, we are in a conversation with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic and that’s the slight question mark with Alcaraz. I love watching him play, he’s absolutely brillant, but there there are times when he lacks the discipline around shot selection.

“When you are talking about building that Grand Slam tally and getting into double figures, that’s the question mark for me.”

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Carlos Alcaraz served up some surprising comments after his defeat against Jack Draper at Indian Wells in March and it seems he learned from that experience as he got his revenge on the Brit to secure a 6-4, 6-4 win to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open in Rome.

Alcaraz rallied from 2-4 to win the first set Campo Centrale and let slip an early break lead in the second, but he roared back to beat Draper on a day when the Brit was not at his best physically.

The win allowed Alcaraz to extend his winning record against Draper to 4-2, as he suggested his change of mindset was crucial to the win.

Alcaraz suggested he didn’t sleep before his last match against Draper and admitted he was more worried about his opponent’s game than his own in that match, but he appeared to have a different approach in their latest contest.

“The most important thing I did today was not thinking about the results at all, if I was up or if I was down,” said Alcaraz.

“I just tried to do the things that make me happy, playing aggressive, making drop shots to the net, things I like to do on the court. That made the difference today.

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“I played with such high rhythm in the whole match, I didn’t let him dominate or stay long in the rallies. It was a really good weapon for me.

“I’m just playing great tennis on clay. I started the clay season really well. I got injured after Barcelona, but I’m happy to feel in a good rhythm playing good tennis again on clay. This match gave me a lot of confidence.”

While Alcaraz deserved his victory, it was clear that Draper was giving him real concerns once again as they met on a clay court for the first time.

French Open champion Alcaraz is a fearsome opponent for most of his rivals on this surface, but Draper can take a lot of confidence from the challenge he put up to the young Spaniard as their growing rivalry had another chapter added.

“It was an interesting match that ebbed and flowed without either team playing well at the same time. There was flashes of brilliance from both players,” former British No 1 Laura Robson told Sky Sports Tennis.

“Jack got a good start but lose a bit of intensity with his footwork. They tried to figure each other out but, in the big moments, it just felt like Carlos was the fresher.

“It was very close, the scoreline doesn’t tell the full story of the match, but it was a match where Jack will feel he maybe could have edged the key moments.”

The win for Alcaraz ensured he will rise to No 2 in the ATP Rankings next week and that could be significant as it would mean he avoids a meeting with Jannik Sinner prior to the final at the French Open, which gets underway later this month.

The defeat for Draper left him just behind Taylor Fritz in the battle for the No 4 spot in the ATP Rankings, with the Brit likely to overtake his American rival if he takes his current form onto the clay courts at Roland Garros.

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Carlos Alcaraz earned an impressive victory against an in-form Jack Draper in the 2025 Italian Open quarter-finals — and it could have big implications.

The four-time major champion defeated world No 5 Draper 6-4, 6-4 on Centre Court at the Foro Italico.

Alcaraz came back from 2-4 down in the opening set and saved six of the eight break points he faced against the 23-year-old Brit.

The Spaniard avenged his painful three-set semi-final loss to Draper in Indian Wells in March — and he now leads the head-to-head series 4-2.

By reaching his maiden semi-final in Rome, Alcaraz has ensured he will reclaim the world No 2 position from Alexander Zverev after the tournament.

The 21-year-old has a 955 point lead over Zverev — who is the reigning Italian Open champion — in the Live ATP Rankings.

Alcaraz’s imminent return to second in the rankings is significant as it means he is guaranteed to be the No 2 seed at the French Open.

Therefore, Alcaraz will not face world No 1 Jannik Sinner before the final at Roland Garros, which could improve his chances as he looks to defend his crown in Paris.

Speaking to the media after beating Draper, Alcaraz gave his reaction to securing a top two seeding for the clay-court Grand Slam.

“I think it’s great being second seed in Roland Garros, knowing that I’m going to not see Jannik before the final, if I reach it, I think it’s great,” he said.

“It’s something that I didn’t think about it, honestly. Before coming here, the No 1, it wasn’t a goal. Knowing that, it’s a great thing.”

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Alcaraz added: “I think the most important thing that I did today was not thinking about the shots at all.

“Not thinking about the fact that I was down, just trying to do the things that make me happy. On court, I just tried to be aggressive, play good shots, drop shots, go to the net. That’s what I like to do on the court, and I think that made the difference today.

“I played such a high rhythm during the whole match that I didn’t let him dominate or stay long in the rallies. I think that was a really good win today for me, and I’m just really proud about the way I approached the match.

“I just feel that I play great tennis on clay. I started the clay season really well. Obviously, it was sad that I got injured after Barcelona, but it’s always difficult to be in shape for the whole swing.

“I’m just excited to keep it going and try to compete as well as I can. I’m just happy to feel the good rhythm, feel the good tennis again here in Rome, and obviously this match has given me a lot of confidence.”

Alcaraz will face either Zverev or Lorenzo Musetti in the last four at the Masters 1000 tournament.

Draper had the chance to climb to a new career-high ranking of world No 4 by beating Alcaraz, which would have seen him clinch a top four seeding spot at the French Open.

The world No 5 has narrowly missed out, though, as he remains just 15 points adrift of fourth-ranked Taylor Fritz.

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The post Carlos Alcaraz clinches huge rankings boost as Jack Draper falls short of key milestone appeared first on Tennis365.

Coco Gauff overcame her young rival Mirra Andreeva in straight sets to progress to the semi-finals of the 2025 Italian Open.

The American clinched a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over seventh-ranked Andreeva in the last eight at the Foro Italico.

The world No 3 now holds a 4-0 record against Andreeva, and she has won seven consecutive sets against the 18-year-old Russian.

In her on-court interview, Gauff said: “I’m feeling really good — and I feel I have a lot to improve on, too.

“When you’re winning matches and you still feel like you have a whole ceiling to reach, it just makes you feel good.

“I’ve lost in the semis here a few times, so I’m hoping to get through to the final stage. At the end, my defence, it was tough.

“We were both tight in the tiebreaker, it was whoever could make the last ball. Today some points weren’t my best, but still managed to be successful.”

At the age of 21 years and 54 days, Gauff has become the fifth youngest woman to reach three semi-finals at the Italian Open in the Open Era, having also made the last four in 2021 and 2024.

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Monica Seles is the youngest player to accomplish the feat, having reached her third Rome semi-final at the age of 18 years and 168 days.

Martina Hingis is the next youngest to achieve it (18 years and 231 days), while Gabriela Sabatini (19 years and 3 days) and Chris Evert (20 years and 158 days) rank third and fourth.

Gauff is through to her 10th WTA 1000 semi-final, and there are only four players who have reached more before the age of 22. Former world No 1 Hingis featured in a staggering 33 WTA 1000 (Tier I) semi-finals before her 22nd birthday.

Most WTA 1000 level semi-finals reached before turning 22

1. Martina Hingis – 33

2. Maria Sharapova – 15

=3. Venus Williams – 11

=3. Serena Williams – 11

5. Coco Gauff – 10

Gauff will face either world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka or eighth seed Zheng Qinwen in the last four in Rome.

Asked who she would prefer to play, Gauff said: “I don’t have a preference, to be honest. They’re both tough players. It’s going to be a tough match
regardless of who I play.

“Obviously I would maybe like to play Aryna because I just played her in Madrid, just to get some revenge (smiling). Obviously Qinwen is tough to play. I have no preference. It’s going to be a tough, hard match either way.”

The 2023 US Open champion added: “I’m really confident on clay. I think it’s a surface that works well for my game.

“I would love to get a big title on clay just because I do love it. Yeah, I’m having a lot of confidence, but hoping to go even further.”

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