The Internazionali BNL d’Italia reaches its semifinal stage with compelling matchups that blend form, history and momentum.

Jannik Sinner arrives on a long run that began after a defining autumn in 2023 when he recorded first wins over Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic and led Italy to its first Davis Cup in nearly 50 years. That stretch transformed him; wins over Sinner since the fall of 2023 carry more weight than earlier victories. Andrey Rublev stands between Sinner and a place in the last four. Rublev is 3-7 against Sinner, though two of those Rublev wins, in 2020 and 2022, came via retirement and can be viewed differently. His lone full victory came in a three-set match in Cincinnati in 2024. Sinner’s recent results include a dominant showing at Roland Garros last year (6-1, 6-3, 6-4) and a current streak of 26 straight wins. Rublev, fresh from a runner-up finish in Barcelona and with three wins in Rome, can pressure with heavy groundstrokes, but Sinner’s present form makes him the clear favorite. Winner: Sinner

Coco Gauff’s Rome week has been a test of endurance. The 2025 runner-up has survived three three-set matches, including tense comebacks and a late resistance against Mirra Andreeva. “It was a lot,” Gauff said after one of her wins earlier this week. Sorana Cirstea, enjoying a late-career surge and planning to retire at the end of 2026, arrives in excellent form: 27-7 on the year, a third-round upset of top seed Aryna Sabalenka and straight-set wins over Linda Noskova and Jelena Ostapenko. “I’m enjoying every single week,” Cirstea says of her last go-round on tour. “I’m coming from a place where I really have no pressure.” Cirstea is 0-3 against Gauff, and seeded well below her, but recent three-set encounters between them suggest this could be tight. Winner: Gauff

On the other side of the draw, Elina Svitolina earned her semifinal by rallying past Elena Rybakina in three hard-fought sets and must now face a newly confident Iga Swiatek. Swiatek leads their head-to-head 4-2 and is 2-0 on clay, including a Rome meeting five years ago that she won 6-2, 7-5. Svitolina has retooled her game in 2026, attacking more and compiling a 26-7 season with a title and a return to the Top 10; she also beat Swiatek in three sets at Indian Wells. Clay questions remain, but this promises to be a tactical and physical test.

Coco Gauff needed to rally again. The American recovered from a set down for the third consecutive match in Rome, resisting a late surge from teenager Mirra Andreeva to prevail 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.

Fifteen times this season Gauff has faced a one-set deficit and eight times she has reversed it. This victory marked her third straight comeback at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and her fifth career win in five meetings with Andreeva.

Gauff often finds herself erasing large gaps. She trailed Solana Sierra 3-0 in the deciding set in the third round and earlier saved a match point against Iva Jovic on her way to the fourth round. Against Andreeva she lost the opening set, surged through the second and opened a 5-1 lead in the decider. The teenager responded by winning three straight games and saving two match points to pull the set back on serve.

The final game became a prolonged duel that went to seven deuces. Andreeva had five opportunities to level at 5-5 before Gauff closed the match on her fifth match point.

Gauff addressed her approach after the match with a focus on how she manages pressure. “For me, it’s [about] just not leaving the court with regrets,” she said.

She reflected on the danger posed by Andreeva and the narrow line between victory and elimination. “I know when I play her she can play great tennis at any moment,” Gauff said. “But I was also thinking, I saved a match point in the last round, so I could easily not be here today. I think I was just trying to appreciate just being here even if those match points weren’t going my way.”

On her mindset in the decisive moments she added, “I was trying to find the balance of being aggressive and just not missing,” “It’s a missed opportunity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get another one, and [I was thinking that] hopefully with the math, one will go my way.”

This stretch of Rome quarterfinals brings high-level rematches and intriguing first meetings. Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula renew a rivalry that once felt lopsided but has tightened in recent months. Both are top-10 staples and among the legitimate Roland Garros contenders entering the clay swing.

Pegula arrives having dispatched Rebeka Masarova 6-0, 6-0 in the third round and then edged Anastasia Potapova earlier in the week. Swiatek has been even more imposing, beating Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-0 and following that with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Naomi Osaka. Once Swiatek overwhelmed Pegula, notably dropping just one game in the WTA Finals title match in Cancun in 2023, but Pegula has taken the last two meetings in straight sets and narrowed the head-to-head to 6-5.

The matchup is a contrast of styles. Swiatek is a natural puncher who uses heavy topspin from both wings. Pegula is a counter-puncher who hits with flat pace. Pegula’s best path is to keep Swiatek off rhythm and force the Pole to play shorter from the baseline. On clay, however, the surface tends to favor Swiatek’s heavy spin and court positioning. Winner: Swiatek

Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina represent another top-level pairing. Rybakina, a Grand Slam champion who has risen to No. 2, has shown the power game that can close out big matches. Svitolina has enjoyed a resurgence, with a title, a 26-7 ledger and a return to the Top 10. Rybakina closed 2025 with a strong WTA Finals run. They have met seven times, Rybakina leading 4-3 and having won the most recent meeting in the Indian Wells semifinals in March. Svitolina has been effective on clay, winning two of three on the surface, and the IW semi was a tight two-set match. Svitolina’s more natural clay game and her 2026 aggression make an upset possible, but Rybakina’s serve and power keep her favored. Winner: Rybakina

The day’s noisier match should be Rafael Jodar versus Luciano Darderi. The 24-year-old Darderi, ranked 20th, will have the home crowd behind him; his first name, “Luuuu-ca”, is highly chantable. Jodar is described as a rising phenom and is 34th-ranked while also referenced as a 19-year-old rookie. Darderi has won a title in Santiago, reached a final in Buenos Aires, made the Australian Open round of 16 and recorded his first Top 10 win in a comeback over Alexander Zverev. This is their first meeting. On talent and upside, Jodar projects to have a gear Darderi may not find. Winner: Jodar