Collins handed defeat to the Pole, while Sinner is set for hero\u2019s return
\n ROME
\nIga Swiatek was dumped out of the Italian Open on Saturday after the reigning Rome champion suffered a shock 6-1, 7-5 defeat at the hands of Danielle Collins, as Jannik Sinner prepares for his return to action from a contested doping ban.
\nWorld number two Swiatek was hunting a fourth title at the Foro Italico but failed to get past the third round of the last major tournament before the French Open following an uncharacteristically bad display against unfancied Collins.
\nVeteran Collins, 31, will now face one of Elina Svitolina or fellow American Hailey Baptiste in the last 16 as the world number 35 hunts an unlikely second WTA 1000 title after winning in Miami last year.
\nSwiatek\u2019s early exit is a major shock as the Pole usually dominates her rivals on clay and has a hugely impressive record in the Italian capital.
\nThe manner of her defeat is another worrying sign ahead of Roland Garros as she was also thrashed in straight sets by Coco Gauff in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open earlier this month.
\nSwiatek was barely recognisable from the player who has won four French Open titles, being broken four times in the first set and failing to impose herself at all on Collins, against whom she had previously won eight of nine meetings.
\nThe 23-year-old\u2019s elimination opens up her side of the women\u2019s draw with Naomi Osaka, who could have been her opponent in the quarter-finals, taking on Marie Bouzkova later on Saturday.
\nOsaka, who is still finding form after a 15-month break from tennis, will face fifth seed Madison Keys in the last 16 if she gets past Bouzkova.
\nItalian star Sinner will take to a packed and partisan centre court on Saturday evening against Argentina\u2019s Mariano Navone, hoping to shake off the cobwebs as he eyes a run at Roland Garros later this month.
\nThe world number one said before his first training session in Rome that he was just hoping to get past his second round clash with Navone and see where his game is, after an enforced three months on the sidelines.
\nSinner hasn\u2019t swung a racket in a tournament since claiming his third Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open in January, due to a suspension agreed with the World Anti-Doping Agency in February.
\nHis rise to the top of the game in 2024, when he won eight titles including his first two Slams and the ATP Finals, was dogged by the controversy which followed his two positive tests for traces of clostebol in March last year.
\nBoth WADA and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), who initially cleared Sinner in August, accepted he was accidentally contaminated with the banned substance by his physiotherapist.
\nFans on centre court were given a first taste of joy by Rome-born Matteo Berrettini beating Jacob Fearnley in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (7\/0) in his first match at his home tournament in four years.
\nFormer Wimbledon finalist Berrettini, who withdrew from the Madrid Open with the latest in a long line of abdominal injuries, will face Madrid champion Casper Ruud in the third round with the Norwegian beating Alexander Bublik 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
\nAndrey Rublev was dumped out at the first attempt by Hungary\u2019s Fabian Marozsan, to continue his poor form since winning in Dubai back in February.
\nFourth seed Taylor Fritz also exited after going down 7-6 (7\/4), 7-6 (7\/3) to fellow American Marcos Giron.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Collins handed defeat to the Pole, while Sinner is set for hero\u2019s return ROME Iga Swiatek was dumped out of the Italian Open on Saturday after the reigning Rome champion suffered a shock 6-1, 7-5 defeat at the hands of Danielle Collins, as Jannik Sinner prepares for his return to action from a contested doping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477742,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-477726","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n