0By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday May 10, 2023
Sloane Stephens eased past Nadia Podoroska for her first win at Rome since 2018.
Photo Source: Getty
Given that Sloane Stephens is such a renowned clay-court player – a former Roland-Garros runner-up with a 32-11 lifetime record Paris that includes two other trips to the last eight on the terre battue, her failure to make it out of the first round at Rome since 2019 doesn’t make a lot of sense.
Since reaching the round of 16 (her best Rome performance to date) Stephens had lost five straight at the Fori Italico, but it was a confident Stephens on Wednesday that eased past Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska to book a battle of former Grand Slam champions with Victoria Azarenka in the second round at Rome.
Stephens won 25 of 26 first serve points against Podoroska, and saved 1 of 2 break points to stretch her current clay court winning streak to six. The 30-year-old American is fresh off the 125K title at Saint Malo last week.
She was joined by a pair of storied veterans, Sorana Cirstea and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, in the second round. Cirstea, who defeated American Katie Volynets 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, won the Reus 125K title last week.
Pavlyuchenkova, who missed nearly all of last season while nursing a knee injury, came through a battle of former Roland-Garros finalists with Sara Errani, 6-1 6-1.
Cirstea will face Jelena Ostapenko in the second round, while Pavlyuchenkova will take a crack at two-time defending champion and World No.1 Iga Swiatek in the second round.
First round action is nearly complete at the Foro Italico. Second round action begins in full on Thursday in Rome – here is the Day 3 Order of Play: