Rome, May 9 (IANS) Jasmine Paolini’s title defence at the Italian Open 2026 came to a dramatic end on Saturday after Belgium’s Elise Mertens saved three match points to secure a battling 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 victory and advance to the fourth round in Rome.

In another major result from the women’s draw, former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko finally overcame Zheng Qinwen after three previous defeats, rallying from a set down to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and continue her strong run in the Italian capital.

Paolini, seeded ninth and backed by a vocal home crowd at the Foro Italico, looked on course to keep her campaign alive after edging a tightly contested opening set and moving within a point of victory in the second. The Italian earned three match points while leading 6-5, but Mertens held firm under pressure before forcing a tie-break, where she completed a remarkable turnaround.

The Belgian carried the momentum into the deciding set and gradually took control as Paolini’s resistance faded after more than two and a half hours of gruelling tennis. The defeat ended the Italian’s hopes of defending the biggest title of her career in front of home supporters.

Mertens has historically enjoyed success against Paolini, having now won five of their seven tour-level meetings. The victory also marked her first win over a top-10 opponent since defeating Jessica Pegula at the same tournament last year. A former Rome quarter-finalist, Mertens once again demonstrated her comfort on the clay courts in the Italian capital.

The match also continued a growing trend on the women’s tour this clay season, with several players escaping from match point down. Rome has already witnessed multiple dramatic comebacks this week, underlining the unpredictable nature of the tournament.

Mertens will next face either Mirra Andreeva or Viktorija Golubic in the Round of 16

Later in the day, Ostapenko produced another resilient performance to reach the Round of 16 in Rome for the fourth consecutive year. The Latvian had entered the contest against Olympic champion Zheng without a victory in their previous three meetings, but finally found a way through with aggressive shot-making and improved consistency from the baseline.

Zheng started strongly and claimed the opening set 6-4, appearing in control early in the contest. However, Ostapenko raised her level midway through the second set and began dictating rallies with her trademark power hitting to force a decider.

The former Roland Garros winner maintained the momentum in the third set, breaking Zheng at a crucial stage before closing out the contest in just under two and a half hours. The win improved Ostapenko’s record against Zheng to 1-3 overall and handed her a first victory over the Chinese star on clay.

In another clash, No. 13 seed Linda Noskova reached the fourth round for the first time with a straight-sets win over Oleksandra Oliynykova.

–IANS

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