Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina played her first match at the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome.

World No.2 Rybakina started her campaign in the second round, where she faced Maria Sakkari (ranked 47th), The Caspian Post reports, citing Qazinform.

The Kazakhstani player advanced to the third round with a straight-sets victory - 6-4, 6-1.

Elena Rybakina previously won the Rome title in 2023. In this year's tournament, she is seeded second and is considered one of the main contenders for the trophy. The tournament winner will earn €1,055,285 and 1,000 ranking points.