PREVIEW NOTES: INTERNAZIONALI BNL D’ITALIA ROME, ITALY | SEPTEMBER 14-20, 2020 | USD €1,692,169 | PREMIER 5 WTA Website: www.wtatennis.com | @WTA | facebook.com/wta Tournament Website: www.internazionalibnlditalia.com | @InteBNLdItalia | facebook.com/ internazionalibnlditalia | www.instagram.com/ internazionalibnlditalia WTA Communications: Alex Prior ([email protected]), Ellie Emerson ([email protected]) SAP Tennis Analytics for Media is an online portal that provides real-time data and insights to media during every WTA event and across all devices. Please email [email protected] to request your individual login to grant access to SAP Tennis Analytics for Media. INTERNAZIONALI BNL D’ITALIA – QUICK FACTS Main draw dates: Monday - Monday, September 14-21, 2020 Singles Final: Monday, September 21, 2:30pm Doubles Final: Sunday, September 20 Venue: Foro Italico Status: Premier 5 Staging: Tournament’s 76th edition Draw sizes: 56 singles / 28 doubles teams / 32 singles qualifying Surface: Red clay / Outdoors Total prize money: €1,692,169 Tennis Ball: Dunlop Fort Clay Court SINGLES € RANK POINTS Winner 205,190 900 Runner-Up 150,000 585 Semifinalist 80,000 350 Quarterfinalist 37,910 190 Round of 16 19,355 105 Round of 32 13,745 60 Round of 56 9,000 1 MAIN DRAW QUICK-HITS Singles wildcards: Elisabetta Cocciaretto (ITA), Camila Giorgi (ITA), Jasmine Paolini (ITA), Venus Williams (USA), Vera Zvonareva (RUS) Youngest singles player: Coco Gauff (USA), 16 years old (March 13, 2004) Oldest singles player: Venus Williams (USA), 40 years old (June 17, 1980) Best result by a qualifier: runner-up – Alizé Cornet (2008) Best result by a wildcard: semifinal – Mary Pierce (1995), Serena Williams (2010) Most main draw match wins: PLAYER WINS LOSSES TITLES Serena Williams (USA) 44 8 2002, 2013-14, 2016 Conchita Martínez (ESP) 42 10 1993-96 Chris Evert (USA) 37 3 1974-75, 1980-82 Venus Williams (USA) 34 14 1999 Follow WTA on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WTA Facebook: www.facebook.com/WTA YouTube: www.youtube.com/WTA 1 PREVIEW NOTES: INTERNAZIONALI BNL D’ITALIA ROME, ITALY | SEPTEMBER 14-20, 2020 | USD €1,692,169 | PREMIER 5 RECENT ROME HONOR ROLL YEAR CHAMPION RUNNER-UP SCORE DOUBLES CHAMPIONS 2019 [4] Karolina Pliskova (CZE #7) Johanna Konta (GBR #42) 6-3 6-4 Azarenka/Barty 2018 [4] Elina Svitolina (UKR #4) [1] Simona Halep (ROU #1) 6-0 6-4 Barty/Schuurs 2017 [8] Elina Svitolina (UKR #11) [6] Simona Halep (ROU #4) 4-6 7-5 6-1 Chan/Hingis 2016 [1] Serena Williams (USA #1) Madison Keys (USA #24) 7-6(5) 6-3 Hingis/Mirza 2015 [3] Maria Sharapova (RUS #3) [10] Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP #10) 4-6 7-5 6-1 Babos/Mladenovic TOURNAMENT TALKING POINTS Preparation for Roland Garros continues this week, with six of the Top 10 heading to Rome for the 76th edition of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia Top seed this year is two-time runner-up (2017-18) Simona Halep, who after a first-round bye will take on Anastasija Sevastova or Italian wildcard Jasmine Paolini in her opening match Also among the leading eight seeds are Halep’s conqueror in those two finals, Elina Svitolina, and both last year’s Rome finalists, Karolina Pliskova and Johanna Konta The standout first-round match-up this year is between 2016 Roland Garros champion Garbiñe Muguruza and 2018’s losing finalist in Paris, Sloane Stephens Saturday’s draw threw up another intriguing match-up, between one of the field’s other former champions, Venus Williams, and Victoria Azarenka. Seven players in this year’s draw were not born when Williams defeated Mary Pierce to lift the title at the Foro Italico 21 years ago This success here is one of nine career titles Williams has won on clay, making her the second most successful active player on the surface: PLAYER CLAY COURT TITLES Serena Williams (USA) 13 Venus Williams (USA) 9 Simona Halep (ROU) 8 Sara Errani (ITA) 7 Kiki Bertens (NED) 6 Petra Kvitova (CZE) 5 Elina Svitolina (UKR) 4 Meanwhile, eight players in the field – Marie Bouzkova, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Ons Jabeur, Veronika Kudermetova, Jasmine Paolini, Bernarda Pera, Iga Swiatek and Ajla Tomljanovic – are seeking their first career titles on any surface One to Watch – Amanda Anisimova. Last spring the American teenager announced herself to the tennis world with a run to the semifinals at Roland Garros, which included a win over reigning champion and current World No.1 Simona Halep. Anisimova – the youngest player in the Top 50 – is coming off a third round showing at the US Open and starts her campaign in the Italian capital against No.16 seed Donna Vekic Follow WTA on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WTA Facebook: www.facebook.com/WTA YouTube: www.youtube.com/WTA 2 PREVIEW NOTES: INTERNAZIONALI BNL D’ITALIA ROME, ITALY | SEPTEMBER 14-20, 2020 | USD €1,692,169 | PREMIER 5 COUNTRY AND REGION BREAKDOWN Excluding qualifiers, a total of 25 countries and regions are represented in the main draw, led by the United States with seven players: Australia (1) Ajla Tomljanovic Belarus (1) Victoria Azarenka Belgium (1) Elise Mertens China (1) Zhang Shuai Chinese Taipei (1) Hsieh Su-Wei Croatia (2) Petra Martic, Donna Vekic Czech Republic (5) Marie Bouzkova, Karolina Pliskova, Katerina Siniakova, Barbora Strycova, Marketa Vondrousova Estonia (1) Anett Kontaveit France (1) Caroline Garcia Germany (2) Julia Goerges, Angelique Kerber Great Britain (1) Johanna Konta Italy (3) Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Camila Giorgi, Jasmine Paolini Kazakhstan (2) Yulia Putintseva, Elena Rybakina Latvia (2) Jelena Ostapenko, Anastasija Sevastova Netherlands (1) Kiki Bertens Poland (2) Magda Linette, Iga Swiatek Romania (1) Simona Halep Russia (5) Ekaterina Alexandrova, Veronika Kudermetova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Vera Zvonareva Slovenia (1) Polona Hercog Spain (1) Garbiñe Muguruza Sweden (1) Rebecca Peterson Switzerland (2) Belinda Bencic, Jil Teichmann Tunisia (1) Ons Jabeur United States (7) Amanda Anisimova, Coco Gauff, Sofia Kenin, Bernada Pera, Alison Riske, Sloane Stephens, Venus Williams Ukraine (2) Elina Svitolina, Dayana Yastremska 2020 WTA TOUR FINALS Week of Level Tournament Singles Final Doubles Final January 6 Premier Brisbane, AUS [2] Pliskova d. [8] Keys 64 46 75 Hsieh/Strycova d. Barty/Bertens 36 76(7) 108 Int. Shenzhen, CHN [5] Alexandrova d. [7] Rybakina 62 64 Krejcikova/Siniakova d. Duan/Zheng 62 36 104 Int. Auckland, NZL [1] Williams d. Pegula 63 64 Muhammad/Townsend d. Williams/Wozniacki 64 64 January 13 Premier Adelaide, AUS [1] Barty d. Yastremska 62 75 Melichar/Xu d. Dabrowski/Jurak 26 75 105 Int. Hobart, AUS [3] Rybakina d. [4] Zhang 76(7) 63 Kichenok/Mirza d. Peng/Zhang 64 64 January 20 GS Melbourne, AUS [14] Kenin d. Muguruza 46 62 62 Babos/Mladenovic d. Hsieh/Strycova 62 61 February 10 Premier St. P’burg, RUS [2] Bertens d. [8] Rybakina 61 63 Aoyama/Shibahara d. Christian/Guarachi 46 60 103 Int. Hua Hin, THA [5] Linette d. [Q] Kung 63 62 Rodionova/Sanders d. Haas/Perez 63 63 Follow WTA on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WTA Facebook: www.facebook.com/WTA YouTube: www.youtube.com/WTA 3 PREVIEW NOTES: INTERNAZIONALI BNL D’ITALIA ROME, ITALY | SEPTEMBER 14-20, 2020 | USD €1,692,169 | PREMIER 5 February 17 Premier Dubai, UAE [1] Halep d. Rybakina 36 63 76(5) Hsieh/Strycova d. Krejcikova/Zheng 76 36 105 February 24 Premier Doha, QAT [9] Sabalenka d. [8] Kvitova 63 63 Hsieh/Strycova d. Dabrowski/Ostapenko 62 57 102 Int. Acapulco, MEX [7] Watson d. [Q] Fernandez 64 67(8) 61 Krawczyk/Olmos d. Bondarenko/Fichman 63 76(5) March 2 Int. Lyon, FRA [1] Kenin d. Friedsam 62 46 64 Paar/Wachaczyk d. Pattinama Kerkh./Schoofs 75 64 Int. Monterrey, MEX [1] Svitolina d. [9] Bouzkova 75 46 64 Bondarenko/Fichman d. Kato/Wang 46 63 107 August 3 Int. Palermo, ITA Ferro d. [4] Kontaveit 62 75 Rus/Zidansek d. Cocciaretto/Trevisan 75 75 August 10 Int. Prague, CZE [1] Halep d. [3] Mertens 62 75 Hradecka/Pliskova d. Niculescu/Olaru 62 62 Int. Lexington, USA Brady d. Teichmann 63 64 Carter/Stefani/Bouzkova/Teichmann 61 75 August 17 Premier 5 New York, USA Azarenka d. [4/WC] Osaka w/o Peschke/Schuurs d. Melichar/Xu 64 46 104 August 31 GS New York, USA [4] Osaka d. Azarenka 16 63 62 Siegemund/Zvonareva d. Melichar/Xu 64 64 September 6 Int. Istanbul, TUR Tig d. [Q] Bouchard 26 61 76(4) Guarachi/Krawczyk d. Perez/Sanders 61 63 A SNAPSHOT OF 2020 – THE YEAR SO FAR Three Top 10 Debuts: Sofia Kenin (at No.7 on February 3) Fewest games dropped en route to a title: Jennifer Brady (24, Lexington) Lowest-ranked title winner: Patricia Maria Tig (No.88, Istanbul) Multiple finals: Elena Rybakina: 4 (Shenzhen, R-Up, Hobart, W, St. Petersburg, R-Up, Dubai, R-Up); Sofia Kenin: 2 (Australian Open, W, Lyon, W); Simona Halep: 2 (Dubai, W, Prague, W); Naomi Osaka: 2 (Western & Southern Open, R-Up, US Open, W); Victoria Azarenka: 2 (Western & Southern Open, W, US Open, R- Up) Maiden titles (3): Ekaterina Alexandrova (Shenzhen), Jennifer Brady (Lexington), Patricia Maria Tig (Istanbul) Youngest title winner: Elena Rybakina, Hobart (20y 7m 1d) Oldest title winner: Serena Williams, Auckland (38y 3m 17d) Aces leaders: Elena Rybakina – 155, Garbiñe Muguruza – 128, Kristyna Pliskova – 125 Most aces in a match (22): Alison Van Uytvanck (l. vs. Sofia Kenin 7-6(5) 6-7(2) 7-6(2) – Lyon, SF) Match win leaders: Elena Rybakina – 22, Elise Mertens – 22, Anett Kontaveit – 19, Sofia Kenin – 18 Most doubles titles (3): Barbora Strycova / Hsieh Su-Wei (Brisbane, Dubai, Doha) Best result by a qualifier (R-Up): Kung (Hua Hin), Fernandez (Acapulco), Bouchard (Istanbul) Longest match: 3h 33m – Heather Watson d.