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The two remaining Canadians, who had first-round byes as seeded players, get into action on Friday.
Notably, Victoria Mboko faces another young player, Italian (really, American) Tyra Caterina Grant.
Mboko began her clay season late, and lost her opener in Madrid. In her first trip to Rome a year ago, when she was just getting started, she qualfied and took Coco Gauff to three sets.
Grant, who just turned 18 in March, was the No. 2 junior in the world a year and a half ago. Her best results by far were on clay; she has won three junior Grand Slam titles and the Orange Bowl. Three of those came with Iva Jovic, who is already top 20.
She was born in Rome, as her father, a pro basketball player was playing there and whose partner was an Italian tennis coach, who is currently Grant’s manager. Grant began representing Italy exactly a year ago in Rome.
Leylah Fernandez plays qualifier Rebeka Masarova.
(Rome is six hours ahead of EDT)
Internazionali BNL d’Italia
Location: Rome, Italy
Category: WTA 1000 (Joint event with the ATP Tour)
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Dates: May 5 – 17, 2026
Prize Money: €7,228,080
Draws: S96 – D32
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Campo Centrale (11 a.m. start – 5 a.m. EDT)
1. [4] Iga Swiatek (POL) vs. Caty McNally (USA)
4. [28] Emma Navarro (USA) vs. Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA) (not before 7 p.m.)
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BNP Paribas Arena
2. [15] Naomi Osaka (JPN) vs. Eva Lys (GER) (not before 1 p.m.)
3. [10] Victoria Mboko (CAN) vs. [WC] Tyra Caterina Grant (ITA)
4. [2] Elena Rybakina (KAZ) vs. Maria Sakkari (GRE)
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Supertennis Arena
3. [5] Jessica Pegula (USA) vs. Zeynep Sonmez (TUR)
5. [7] Elina Svitolina (UKR) vs. [Q] Noemi Basiletti (ITA)
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Pietrangeli
1. [31] Wang Xinyu (CHN) vs. Alexandra Eala (PHI)
5. [33] Jaqueline Cristian (ROU) vs. Karolina Pliskova (CZE)
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Court 13
1. [19] Diana Shnaider (RUS) vs. Talia Gibson (AUS)
2. [17] Madison Keys (USA) vs. Peyton Stearns (USA)
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Court 1
3. [14] Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) vs. Laura Siegemund (GER)
4. [25] Leylah Fernandez (CAN) vs. [Q] Rebeka Masarova (SUI)
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Court 2
1. [20] Liudmila Samsonova (RUS) vs. Ann Li (USA)
2. [11] Karolina Muchova (CZE) vs. [Q] Anastasia Potapova (AUT)
4. [32] Hailey Baptiste (USA) vs. [Q] Simone Waltert (SUI)
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