2026 Italian Open Women’s Draw: Preview and Prediction featuring Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina

The Women’s singles at the Madrid Open concluded in favor of Marta Kostyuk, the Ukrainian star, who is yet to lose a match since the start of the clay season, and has won two consecutive titles on the surface. Now it’s time for the second clay-court Women’s WTA 1000 of the season: the Italian Open.

Home favorite and Italian star Jasmine Paolini will enter the tournament as a defending champion. Last year, she beat Coco Gauff in straight sets to win the tournament title and became the first Italian woman to do so in 40 years.

Tournament Details

• Tournament: 2026 Italian Open
• Date: May 6- May 17
• No. of Entrants: 96 (Singles)
• Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
• Surface: Outdoor clay court
• Total Prize Money Pool: $8,312,293
• Defending Champion: Jasmine Paolini

Top seeds at the 2026 Italian Open

• Aryna Sabalenka
• Elena Rybakina
• Coco Gauff
• Iga Swiatek
• Jessica Pegula
• Amanda Anisimova
• Elina Svitolina
• Mirra Andreeva
• Jasmine Paolini
• Victoria Mboko

First Quarter

Aryna Sabalenka leads the quarter as the top seed at the tournament. She has never won the Italian Open and only finished as runner-up in 2024. She will open her campaign against either former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova or Elsa Jacquemot. She could face Sorana Cirstea in the third round and Linda Noskova in the fourth round.

Two former Grand Slam champions, Belinda Bencic and Bianca Andreescu will take on each other in the opening round of the tournament. However, the sixth seed Amanda Anisimova is set to make her clay debut at the tournament after withdrawing from the Madrid Open due to a wrist injury.

Quarter-finals Predictions: Aryna Sabalenka vs. Amanda Anisimova

Second Quarter

Third seed Coco Gauff, runner-up here in 2025, will look to capture her first title of the season in Rome. She has been able to reach just one final, while struggling in other tournaments. She will open her campaign against Yulia Putintseva or a qualifier. She could face Emma Raducanu in the third round.

Raducanu will be playing her first tournament since Indian Wells because of a viral illness. The Madrid Open runner-up Mirra Andreeva heads into the Italian Open with just one loss on clay. She could face Antonia Ruzic or Kamila Rakhimova in the second round and could then face Maya Joint in the third round. Defending champion Jasmine Paolini is still in this quarter and holds a just 9-9 win-loss record on tour.

Quarter-finals Predictions: Coco Gauff vs. Mirra Andreeva

Third Quarter

Iga Swiatek leads this quarter. She continues to search for form despite returning on clay. She could meet Emma Navarro in the third round and Naomi Osaka in the fourth round. Osaka, who showed fine form in Madrid before losing to Sabalenka faces Katie Boulter or Eva Lys in the second round.

The fifth seed Jessica Pegula has been one of the most consistent players this season. She won the first clay tournament in Charleston but wasn’t at her best in Madrid. She could face Leylah Fernandez in the third round and then 11th seed Karolina Muchova in the fourth round of the tournament.

Quarter-finals Prediction: Iga Swiatek vs. Jessica Pegula

Fourth Quarter

Elena Rybakina anchors this quarter. However, she’s projected to face Madrid Open champion Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round. Before then, she could face Maria Sakkari in the second round and Alexandra Eala or Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round of the tournament.

Seventh seed Elina Svitolina will look to rebound from her early exit at the Madrid Open. She could face Hailey Baptiste, a semi-finalist at the Madrid Open, who defeated Sabalenka in the quarter-finals, in the third round. The Ukrainian star could also face Madison Keys in the fourth round.

Quarter-finals Prediction: Elena Rybakina vs. Elina Svitolina

Semi-final

Aryna Sabalenka is expected to get the better of Amanda Anisimova on the court should they face off in the quarter-finals. Anisimova is just returning from an injury. Mirra Andreeva will hope for her biggest win of the season against Coco Gauff following her incredible run at the Madrid Open.

Iga Swiatek has not been incredible since the start of the season. She has shockingly struggled on clay. However, she can’t be underestimated. Elena Rybakina will be eager to beat Svitolina for the second time this season

Semi-finals Predictions:

• Aryna Sabalenka vs. Mirra Andreeva
• Iga Swiatek vs. Elena Rybakina

Final

Aryna Sabalenka has not won a title on clay this season. She’s in a battle to make sure that she retains the World No.1 position after her lead over Elena Rybakina was reduced to less than 1,900 points. She will need to get over the line to be able to retain her place at the top.

Rybakina is in a better position than any of the top 5 players on the women’s rankings. Having won the Stuttgart Open and reached the round of 16 of the Madrid Open, she has an opportunity to claim her second title.

Final Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka vs. Elena Rybakina

Winner: Elena Rybakina

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