The Weekly Recap: Pro Tennis Around the Globe

What happened this week at the Rome Masters? Did our home-state Floridians win big? While we can't cover every match, here are some key highlights from the men's and women's draws. 

Sinner's Comeback Headlines Tournament, Italian Players Shine

Over the past few months, something truly remarkable has happened to Jannik Sinner. Off the tour due to a controversial drug suspension, Sinner left Australian in January with the Australian Open trophy and the #1 spot secured. He's only won eight matches this year. Without any results contributing to his ranking over the past few months, rivals such as Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev could have surpassed him. But that didn't happen, and with a big slice of Sinner's spring spent home training, he returns to the tour exactly as he left it: with the #1 rank. And maybe this time off was more beneficial than harmful---Sinner didn't miss out on too much and he had plenty of time to train and stay in shape. This payed off as in his first match back Saturday, the Italian was victorious. Up against clay court specialist Mariano Navone, this match could have had a much different scoreline. But instead, the top seed enjoyed a comfortable few hours on Center Court to rack up a win, 6-3, 6-4. He'll now play Dutchman Jasper de Jong. 

Above: Jannik Sinner. Photo credit: Corinne Dubreuil / ATP Tour.

The first few days of action at the Foro Italico have brought mixed results for Americans, and more specifically, Florida-based players. While Alex Michelsen, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and more have suffered early exits---there are others who are progressing through the first week smoothly. Into the round of 32 are Sebastian Korda, Tommy Paul, and Marcos Giron. Korda will face off against Spaniard Jaume Munar, Paul against Tomas Machac, and Giron has Hubert Hurkacz. Giron, unseeded in the draw, was actually the man to defeat 4th seed Taylor Fritz on Saturday. He did so in a nail-biter, taking down the Miami resident 7-6, 7-6 in two deadly close sets. With a win like that, Giron is surely playing his A-game and will hope to do so as tougher challenges await. 

Being a tournament in Italy, the draw is bound to be stacked with home hopes. And this year, there's was a total of 13 Italians when the tournament started with 96 competitors. One of the country's favorites, Fabio Fognini, announced that this year in Rome would be his last. Fognini is 37 years old and is married to former player and grand slam champion Flavia Pennetta. He's reached the quarterfinals in Rome before, and has won over four hundred matches across his 20+ year career. His highest ATP ranking was #9, achieved in 2019. So all the attention was on Fogna as he stepped out for what could be his last match in Italy, against Jacob Fearnley. The Brit has played some decent tennis recently, and much to the crowd's dismay Fabio didn't have much to give him. Fearnley won the match handily, 6-2, 6-3. 

Americans surge on women's side, Collins takes down Swiatek.

There's four American women in the top ten right now, the most of any country. So expectations are high for Sunshine State stars as they compete at the WTA 1000 event in Rome, and things are already going to plan as yesterday St. Petersburg native Danielle Collins scored a huge win against clay court specialist and 2nd seed Iga Swiatek. And she didn't just win, she won confidently and convincingly---making the first set look effortless and then holding her own in the second when Swiatek raised her game a bit. A lot of eyes were watching this match as Collins has famously feuded with the Pole in the past, and the animosity seemed to continue with a cold handshake and a few spicy press conferences that ensued. But the most important thing about this match isn't the stories that enhance the excitement, it's the tennis itself. And boy, there was some great tennis on display in this one. Collins swept past Swiatek in the first set, and she didn't have play exceptionally well. Swiatek made a bucketload of unforced errors, and served poorly to let Collins completely take advantage of her and soar past the finish line, 6-1. But with a quick reset, Swiatek was able to bounce back and hold her own in the second, and the two battled it out to tie the match at five games a piece. Collins then held her serve, putting the Pole down 5-6. And this is where the pressure must have gotten to her, as in the final game Collins was once again able to dominate Swiatek's serve and break her to win the match and avoid a tiebreak. 

Above: Danielle Collins. Photo: si.robi (CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED)

This clay season is shaping up to be an important one for some players who have lost their form recently, and are getting back on their feet. 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu hasn't been the same since her final match in Arthur Ashe Stadium that year, and she's struggled with her mental health and off-court problems ever since. But lately, she's been quietly doing some brutal business and has taken down Maya Joint, Jil Teichmann, and Veronika Kudermetova to reach the fourth round at the Foro Italico. She'll take on our very own Coco Gauff. Also in the mix is 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, who scored a bagel in the first set of her opener against Federica Urgesi, and then went on to dethrone seeded players Donna Vekic and Elena Rybakina. She awaits today's results to find out who she'll play next. 

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Written by Florida Tennis contributor Will Turvey. Top Photo:  Corinne Dubreuil / ATP Tour.