Top five title favourites in women's singles at Italian Open 2024

Published at :May 9, 2024 at 12:59 AM

Modified at :May 9, 2024 at 12:59 AM

(Courtesy : Getty Images)

Elena Rybakina is the defending champion in women’s singles at Italian Open.

The Italian Open 2024 will see the WTA Masters main draw matches start on May 7 and conclude on May 19, 2024. This prestigious tennis tournament is held annually in Rome, where top tennis players compete to win the championship.

Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has won the men’s singles title a record 10 times, while Chris Evert is the most successful women’s singles player in the history of the Italian Open, with five titles to her name.

Kazakh tennis player Elena Rybakina is the defending champion in women’s singles tennis at the Italian Open. She aims to defend her title on clay before entering the 2024 French Open

In this article, we will look at the top five title favourites in women’s singles at the Italian Open 2024:

5. Ons Jabeur

The Tunisian tennis player was seen at the recently-concluded 2024 Madrid Open, where she lost to Madison Keys. However, Jabeur outfoxed players like Jelena Ostapenko and Leylah Fernandez en route to the last eight. She had made it to the championship match of the 2022 Italian Open as well, though she lost to Iga Swiatek.

The World No. 9 was struggling at the start of the season because of her injury woes. Before the Madrid Open, she had won just a few matches this season. Nevertheless, she has found her form and fitness off late and would look to continue her fierce gameplay on the clay court.

4. Coco Gauff

The reigning US Open champion, Coco Gauff, will start her campaign against the Polish tennis player Magdalena Frech. In the 2023 Italian Open, the World No. 3 had to face a defeat against Czech player Marie Bouzkova in the Round of 32.

The American tennis player started her 2024 season by defending her Auckland Open title. However, she couldn’t continue her form at the Australian Open.

Coco reached the semis but faced defeat against World No. 2, Aryna Sabalenka. She was last seen in Spain, participating at the Madrid Open, where she lost to compatriot Madison Keys in the Round of 16.

3. Elena Rybakina

The defending champion at the Italian Open has been in top form on the red dirt. She won the Porshe Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart and reached the semi-finals at the recently-concluded 2024 Madrid Open.

She has won three WTA 500 titles this year and reached the final in both Qatar and Miami, but couldn’t cross the finish line. In form, the Kazakh tennis player has shown her tremendous class this season so far. It won’t be surprising to see her defend the title.

2. Aryna Sabalenka

After the setback in the final of the Brisbane Open, she emerged like a phoenix as the 26-year-old went on to defend her Australian Open title this year at the Rod Lever Arena. Notably, the Belarusian has won only four matches since then.

She also had an opportunity to defend her 2024 Madrid Open crown; however, she lost to top-ranked Iga Swiatek in the finals.

1. Iga Swiatek

She has reigned supreme on the red clay this season, starting with victories at the Qatar Open and Indian Wells. Her winning streak continued at the 2024 Madrid Open, where she claimed her first WTA 1000 clay court title this year by defeating Aryna Sabalenka.

Last year, the world’s top-ranked tennis player reached the quarterfinals of the Italian Open. This year, she aims to surpass her previous performance and secure her fourth WTA 1000 title of the season. At just 22, she has already captured an impressive 20 WTA titles, a testament to the Polish athlete’s remarkable talent.

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