Viktorija Golubic opened her Rome campaign with a first-round win over Federica Urgesi, rolling to a 6-1, 6-1 victory as the tournament moved into its second round on Thursday. The win came as the women’s draw thinned from 96 players to 64 and seeded players began to enter after first-round byes.
For Maya Joint, the day carried a different weight. Her match against Golubic marked a return to the tour after she had not played since the first week of March and missed the last two months because of a lower back injury. Joint had played only one match since February 15 and came into Rome ranked nearly 55 spots above Golubic, a gap that underscored how little recent match play she had behind her.
Rome has already offered a few sharp early results. Tatjana Maria beat Magda Linette in straight sets, building on the momentum of her run to the semifinals in Rouen in April. Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea also reached the semifinals in Rouen, but injury concerns kept her from playing that match, and she had managed one win in Madrid before losing to Coco Gauff. Anastasia Zakharova added another surprise when she defeated Dayana Yastremska in three sets, ending a four-match losing streak.
The early rounds have also shown how quickly the field can shift once play opens up in Rome. Linda Noskova, a top-15 player, reached the quarterfinals in Madrid and beat Coco Gauff along the way, a reminder that the players arriving later in the draw may carry the strongest recent form. For Golubic, the result was clean and convincing. For Joint, just being back on court after two months away was the more important test.
