Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka have not been given the spotlight they deserve at the Italian Open.
Swiatek and Osaka both enjoyed emphatic wins in their latest matches in Rome, dropping a combined four games.
As a result, this confirmed that Swiatek and Osaka would play each other for the first time in two years in a highly anticipated match in the Italian capital.
Given that Swiatek and Osaka are both former world number ones and multiple-time Grand Slam champions, you would assume that this match would be put on centre stage, but the Italian Open has had other ideas.
Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka should not be scheduled on the second court in Rome
There was a big reaction to the announcement of the schedule for day nine of the women’s singles tournament at the Italian Open this year, as Swiatek and Osaka were snubbed from Campo Centrale.
Instead, Swiatek and Osaka have been scheduled on the secondary BNP Paribas Arena.
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This appears to be nothing short of a bizarre decision from the Italian Open, particularly as there are three women’s singles matches on Campo Centrale on this day.
Scheduled over Swiatek and Osaka are Sorana Cirstea, who knocked out Aryna Sabalenka, against Linda Noskova, Coco Gauff taking on compatriot Iva Jovic, as well as Elena Rybakina against Karolina Pliskova.
While there are arguments for Gauff-Jovic and Rybakina-Pliskova, there appears to be little justification for Cirstea and Noskova being picked over two of the biggest stars in women’s tennis in Swiatek and Osaka.
Particularly as not only have they achieved great things in their careers, but Swiatek is also a three-time Italian Open champion.
Naomi Osaka has shown she is a real threat to Iga Swiatek on clay
Tennis fans who have tickets for the BNP Paribas Arena in Rome have been given a big boost by getting this match on their court, especially if it is anything like the last time they played.
Clay has never been Osaka’s best surface, but she really put Swiatek to the test when they last met at Roland Garros in 2024.
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Osaka found herself 5-2 up in the third set against Swiatek and actually had a match point, before her opponent would fight back to win the next five consecutive games and take the match out of her hands.
Swiatek would go on to win her fourth Roland Garros title without dropping another set that year, and Osaka will hope to get revenge for that match in Rome.
Osaka really tested Sabalenka in Madrid, and she will be hungry to show that she can still beat the best players on the WTA Tour when she faces Swiatek on Monday, May 11.
