Tennis Tracker: Djokovic and Sabalenka advance in Rome, Paolini beaten by Sherif
23:38 CET - Some late night disappointment for the Italian fans as 11th seed Jasmie Paolini (28) - their best hope for a home win - has been knocked out by Egypt's Mayar Sherif (28) in three sets 7-6, 2-6, 6-4.
22:47 CET - Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova (27) has pulled off an upset of sorts by beating world number 28 Katie Boulter (27) in straight sets 6-4, 7-6 to advance.
21:50 CET - Despite a first set scare, Aryna Sabalenka (26) has come back to beat Katie Volynets (22) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 and advance into the next round.
20:38 CET - Top seed Novak Djokovic (36) has won his opening game of the tournament against Corentin Moutet (25) with ease, beating his opponent 6-3, 6-1. But, a big name has crashed out in Rome this evening with one of the best players on clay this season, Casper Ruud (25) losing in three sets 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Miomir Kecmanovic (24).
19:18 CET - 11th seed Taylor Fritz (26) has disappointed home fans by beating former Italian number one Fabio Fognini (36) 6-3, 6-4.
On the main court, Novak Djokovic (36) is now underway in his clash against Corentin Moutet (25). Follow that match here.
17:59 CET - Victoria Azarenka (34) battled past Magda Linette (32) in an epic, near three-hour contest, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 to move into the third round in Rome.
Caroline Garcia (30) and Elina Svitolina (29) both also progressed, but in far more straightforward fashion.
16:33 CET - Another match, another retirement, with Lesia Tsurenko (34) the latest casualty, pulling out after just 16 minutes in her clash with fellow Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina (27).
Elsewhere, men's third seed Alexander Zverev (27) has beaten Aleksandar Vukic (28) 6-0, 6-4.
15:43 CET - A hard-fought battle has gone the way of men's 12th seed Ben Shelton (21), who has beaten Pavel Kotov (25) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in just under three hours.
15:31 CET - In something of an upset, world number 58 Sofia Kenin (25) has won 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 to knock out eight seed Ons Jabeur (29). That's just her fourth win of the season.
15:10 CET - WTA world number 10 Jelena Ostapenko (26) has beaten Anastasia Potapova (23) 6-4, 6-2 to move into the next round.
14:57 CET - Men's eighth seed Grigor Dimitrov (32) is through thanks to a straightforward 7-5, 6-4 win over Yoshihito Nishioka (28).
13:54 CET - More injuries to report in Rome as lucky loser Oceane Dodin (27), who replaced the sick Elena Rybakina (24) just hours ago, has lasted just seven games, withdrawing after 29 minutes in her game against Irina-Camelia Begu (33).
12:37 CET - The injuries just keep on coming, with home favourite Lorenzo Musetti (22) retiring from his match against Terence Atmane (22) while a set down.
In the only two matches that have gone the full distance thus far today, Nuno Borges (27) has beaten men's 15th seed Alexander Bublik (26) 6-4, 6-4 and women's fifth seed Maria Sakkari (28) has won 6-2, 6-2 against Varvara Gracheva (23).
12:19 CET - In even more gutting news, 2020 US Open champion and former world number three Dominic Thiem (30) has announced that he'll be retiring at the end of the season.
The Austrian was one of the best players the sport has seen since the turn of the century in the late 2010s and the start of the 2020s but has been unable to recover from a wrist injury he suffered shortly after winning his only slam.
12:11 CET - We've got some disappointing news coming out of Rome, with world number four Elena Rybakina (24) pulling out of the tournament due to illness and Anna Blinkova (25) withdrawing from her match with Danielle Collins (30) at the start of the second set due to an ankle injury.
09:52 CET - It's not long until today's play begins in Rome, with six matches getting underway in just over an hour.
The standout clash among them is the one between world number 15 Danielle Collins (30), one of the players of the year, and the always dangerous Anna Blinkova (25).
08:15 CET - It was a mixed final few hours of the night in the Italian capital, with Lorenzo Sonego (28) being beaten by Dusan Lajovic (33) but Luca Nardi (20) winning against Daniel Altmaier (25).
07:50 CET - Hello and welcome to Flashscore's coverage of today's Italian Open action!
