Last Serve in Italy

Love-Love Letter #10 | May 12-18

Your tennis cheat sheet — for fans who like the game, but don’t want to live on Tennis Twitter.

🌍 Where in the World Are We?

As the clay-court swing hits its peak, we wrapped up the ATP & WTA 1000 Italian Open in Rome yesterday. It’s the last big one before Roland Garros aka the French Open starts in just a week - the snack before the feast, if you will.

✅ Results You Should Know

Carlos Alcaraz def. Jannik Sinner 7–6(5), 6–1 (Final)
💡Why it matters: Alcaraz snapped Sinner’s 26-match clay streak, grabbed his first Rome Masters crown, and firmly stamped himself as the man to beat at Roland Garros .

Jasmine Paolini def. Coco Gauff 6–4, 6–2 (Final)
💡Why it matters: Paolini ended a 40-year home title drought for Italian women, delivering the trophy at the Foro Italico. Meanwhile, Gauff reached her second straight WTA 1000 final—exactly the confidence boost she needed after a shaky start to the year and a promising sign for Paris.

Jannik Sinner def. Casper Ruud 6–0, 6–1 (Quarterfinal)
💡Why it matters: Even after a 3-month break, the world No. 1 steamrolled Ruud—fresh off his maiden Masters 1000 triumph—to remind everyone outside a handful of elites that he’s still untouchable on clay.

Zheng Qinwen def. Aryna Sabalenka 6–4, 6–3 (Quarterfinal)
💡Why it matters: In their seventh career meeting, Qinwen notched her first-ever win over Sabalenka—ending a 0-6 skid—and firmly planted herself on the dark-horse radar for Paris.

🔥 Can’t-Miss Highlights

🎥 Alcaraz doing Alcaraz things
Turns this point around in insane fashion to eventually rip a backhand winner down the line (this whole highlight reel is worth checking out, btw).
▶️ Watch here (start at 5:35)

🎥 Paolini with the backhand ripper
The kind of shots that ultimately gave her the title.
▶️ Watch here (start at 2:19)

📆 What to Watch For

This week, there are two smaller, shorter tune-up tournaments for both the ATP and WTA. Here’s what to look out for on the ATP side.

Geneva Open (ATP 250 - May 18–24)

• Novak Djokovic: After skipping Rome, the 24-time Slam champ accepts a wild card to rediscover his form before Paris.

• Taylor Fritz & Tomas Machac: Fritz headlines the draw alongside Machac, who’s riding a hot streak—expect sparks on the clay

Hamburg Open (ATP 500 - May 18–24)

• Alexander Zverev: The hometown hero and 2023 champion returns on a wild card—watch for local fireworks at Rothenbaum.

• Frances Tiafoe & Andrey Rublev: Two big hitters on clay, both looking to make noise in the depleted field after several withdrawals.

Or save your clay-court calories for the main event: Roland Garros starts next Monday, May 25, live on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+.

📰 Off-Court Happenings

Djokovic & Murray split
Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray called it quits on their six-month coaching gig—proof that even tennis’s most unexpected tag teams don’t always stick the landing .

Rome shoots for “5th Grand Slam”
The Italian Open organizers let slip plans to turn the Foro Italico into a bona fide Grand Slam—because who wouldn’t want encore glory in a city this epic? .

Fritz trolls Ruud on Instagram
After Casper Ruud managed just one game in getting absolutely routed by Jannik Sinner, Taylor Fritz couldn’t resist mocking his friend and rival on IG - “you almost had him”.😂

👗 An Outfit Worth Seeing

Or a lack of outfit in this case?
We’re changing this section up this week with a really, really strange celebration after a win on the doubles side of things. That’s all we’ll say - watch below.