Rome, May 10: In the Italian Open 2026, Elina Switolina secured a straight-sets victory over Hailey Baptiste on Sunday. The two-time Rome champion took just 1 hour and 7 minutes to clinch her spot in the fourth round.
Switolina maintained complete control from the baseline, giving Baptiste little opportunity to find her rhythm. The Ukrainian player showcased a disciplined performance, hitting 11 winners while committing only 4 unforced errors. Breaking her serve proved challenging, as Switolina saved all 5 break points and dominated both her first and second serves.
This victory holds extra significance for the seventh-seeded player, as she avenged her earlier loss to Baptiste at the Miami Open 2026. Last year, Switolina also defeated the American player in a tough three-set match in Rome, but this time, she left no room for doubt, improving her head-to-head record against Baptiste to 2-1.
In the round of 16, Switolina will face 20-year-old Czech player Nikola Bartunkova, who pulled off a major upset by defeating 17th-seeded American Madison Keys 6-3, 1-6, 6-4. With this win, Bartunkova became the first ‘lucky loser’ to reach the fourth round of the women’s singles in Rome since 2013.
The young Czech player faced defeat in the final round of qualifying against Anastasia Potapova but later gained entry into the main draw when 10th-seeded Victoria Mboko withdrew due to illness. Bartunkova seized this opportunity, defeating Tyra Grant in the first round and then showcasing fearless play against Keys, marking the biggest win of her career and reaching the fourth round of a WTA 1000 tournament for the first time.
Just a year ago, Bartunkova was outside the top 500. She has now won both matches against top-20 players, having previously triumphed over Belinda Bencic at the Australian Open 2026. This will be her first encounter with Switolina on the WTA Tour, as she aims for a spot in the quarter-finals in Rome.
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