The Italian Open in Rome is always one of the last big stops before Roland Garros, and this year it again gave Asian tennis a useful picture of where things stand. On the men’s side, the challenge was thinner. On the women’s side, there were more stories, more depth and more reasons for encouragement. With Paris now next, Rome felt like an important final check on the clay.
For Elena Rybakina, Rome was another reminder of the level she has been carrying this season. The Kazakh, who came into the event as one of the leading names in the draw, beat Maria Sakkari 6-4 6-1, then overcame Alexandra Eala 6-4 6-3 and Karolina Pliskova 6-0 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals. Her run ended there, with Elina Svitolina coming back to win 2-6 6-4 6-4, but it was still another strong week for the player who continues to lead the Asian challenge at the biggest events.
There were good signs too from Naomi Osaka. The Japanese star fought past Eva Lys 6-4 4-6 6-3, then played one of her cleanest matches of the week to beat the seeded 19, Diana Shnaider 6-1 6-2 and reach the last 16. Her run ended against the queen of Clay, Iga Swiatek, but Rome still felt like another step in the right direction. Osaka is still working her way back, and weeks like this will only help her confidence grow.
Qinwen Zheng also gave Asian tennis an important storyline. The Chinese star is still trying to rebuild her rhythm at the biggest tournaments, and Rome brought both promise and frustration. She began with a good win over 30th seed Cristina Bucsa of Spain, beating her 7-6(6) 6-2 in the opening round. But Zheng’s run ended in the next match, where she lost from a set up against Jelena Ostapenko, who came back to win 4-6 6-4 6-4. It was not the finish Zheng wanted, but it still felt like part of her effort to settle again at the biggest events.
Then there was Alexandra Eala, who again gave Asian tennis one of its brightest stories. The Filipina opened with a 6-0 3-6 6-4 win over Magdalena Frech, then beat Wang Xinyu 6-4 6-3 in an all – Asian match to reach the third round, the first time she had gone that far at a WTA 1000 event on clay. Her run ended against the world No. 2 Rybakina, but it was still another very encouraging week for one of the region’s youngest hopes.
For Janice Tjen, Rome did not bring a deep run, but her presence in the main draw still mattered. The Indonesian lost 6-4 6-4 to Peyton Stearns in the first round, yet being part of the field at a tournament like this was another sign of how Asian women are beginning to appear more often at bigger events. Not every week ends with a long run, but even these appearances matter in the bigger picture.
On the men’s side, Alexander Bublik was again the main Asian name to follow. He opened with a convincing 6-1 6-2 win over Sebastian Baez, but could not go much further, losing in the next round to Learner Tien, the seeded 19. That made Rome a quiet week for the Kazakh. He still looks far from the form that made him among the most talked about players on tour last season, and with Roland Garros now next, many will hope he can come alive again on the Parisian red clay, where he produced the match of his life in 2025.
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