Naomi Osaka was eliminated from the Italian Open on Monday after a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4) defeat to American Peyton Stearns, as her struggles to regain top-level form persisted.
Stearns, who will face either Danielle Collins, the conqueror of reigning champion Iga Swiatek, or Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals, came through a gruelling encounter that lasted nearly three hours under the scorching Rome sun.
The 22-year-old Stearns has now defeated two big names in successive rounds, having also knocked out fifth seed Madison Keys earlier in the tournament.
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Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one, has looked a shadow of her former self since returning to the tour last year after a 15-month maternity break following the birth of her daughter.
Her comeback has been further disrupted by an abdominal injury that forced her withdrawal from the Australian Open, while early exits at Indian Wells and Madrid have underscored her ongoing challenges.
She briefly showed signs of form earlier this month by winning a WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo, France. However, she has yet to advance beyond the last 16 in any tournament above that level since reaching the Auckland final in January.
Meanwhile, home favourite Jannik Sinner continues his bid for a maiden Rome title as he takes on lucky loser Jesper de Jong in a match expected to draw a partisan crowd. No Italian man has won the Rome Masters since Adriano Panatta in 1976, and Sinner’s campaign is being closely followed ahead of the French Open later this month.
In the women’s draw, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini booked her spot in the quarter-finals with a commanding 7-5, 6-2 win over Jelena Ostapenko.
