Rebecca Sramkova advanced in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome on Tuesday, defeating McCartney Kessler in straight sets in the first round. Sramkova won the Rome opener by a score of 7-5, 6-1.
The match took place in the Round of 128 of the clay-court event. Sramkova, ranked No. 41, secured the victory over Kessler, ranked No. 44.
Before arriving in Rome, Sramkova competed at the Mutua Madrid Open, where she lost to Maria Lourdes Carle. Kessler also played in Madrid, falling to Bianca Vanessa Andreescu in her opening match there.
Sramkova has found success on clay surfaces over the past year, holding a 10-4 record. During that period, she has won over 66% of her service games and over 42% of her return games on clay.
Her clay court play includes converting 69 of 145 break points in the last 12 months, representing a 47.6% success rate.
Looking ahead in the Rome tournament, Jeļena Ostapenko is a prominent player also competing in the field. Ostapenko is a potential future opponent for Sramkova as matches progress, with one outlet offering a prediction for a potential match between the two.
Other matches are also underway in the WTA Rome event. Danielle Collins defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Iga Swiatek is preparing for play, Marta Kostyuk eliminated Alexandra Eala, and Emma Raducanu won her three-set showdown against Maya Joint.
