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Iga Swiatek Gets Lucky Bounce in 2025 Italian Open Draw

Analyzing Iga Swiatek's projected opponents for the 2025 Italian Open.
Pat Benson|
Iga Swiatek has an advantage against all of her potential opponents in the 2025 Italian Open.
Iga Swiatek has an advantage against all of her potential opponents in the 2025 Italian Open. | IMAGO / ABACAPRESS

On Monday, tournament organizers for the Italian Open (Internazionali BNL d'Italia) unveiled the draw for the WTA 1000 Masters event in Rome.

Tennis fans poured over the brackets to see where their favorite players landed, and many people arrived at the same conclusion — World No. 2 Iga Swiatek has a surprisingly easy path to the final.

This is welcomed news for Swiatek and her fans, as the Queen of Clay has struggled on her favorite surface this year. Even worse, a Polish media outlet reported that Swiatek is considering skipping all of the grass season if she does not finish the clay season on a high note.

Below is a breakdown of Swiatek's projected matches for each round of the Italian Open.

As a seeded player, Swiatek gets a first-round bye. That means her Rome Masters campaign begins in the second round with a match against the winner of Elina Avanesyan and Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

In the Round of 32, Swiatek will likely face either Danielle Collins or Polina Kudermetova. In the Round of 16, Swiatek could match up against Elina Svitolina or Liudmila Samsonova. So far, Swiatek has a one-sided record against all of those potential opponents.

The quarterfinals get tougher for Swiatek, with potential matchups against Madison Keys (who she beat last week but lost to in the Australian Open), Paula Badosa, and Naomi Osaka.

If Swiatek advances to the semifinal, she could face Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, or Jelena Ostapenko. While Swiatek is 0-6 against Ostapenko, she has the advantage against Pegula and Paolini.

Lastly, a potential final could pit Swiatek against Aryna Sabalenka or Coco Gauff. Swiatek leads in head-to-head matches against both players. However, Sabalenka is surging, and Gauff has won her last three matches against Swiatek (including last week in Madrid).

Rome is a WTA 1000 Masters event, so every path to the final will be difficult. But as Swiatek looks to get back on track and snap her title drought, she could not ask for a better situation.

Swiatek is the reigning Italian Open champion and is about to defend a lot of points in Rome and Paris at Roland Garros. She currently has a record of 26-8 on the season with zero titles. She has not won a tournament since last year's French Open.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers professional tennis for Serve on Sports Illustrated, reporting on ATP and WTA events worldwide. From Challenger tournaments to Grand Slams, he brings readers in-depth coverage, daily recaps, and exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport. With a decade of experience in sports journalism, Pat is recognized as a trusted voice in tennis media. You can contact him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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