Rome, May 9, 2026, 20:05 CEST
Mirra Andreeva jumped out fast in her Internazionali BNL d’Italia third-round clash with Viktorija Golubic, rolling to a 6-1 win in the opening set Saturday on the BNP Paribas Arena. But with the second set underway, Fox Sports’ live scoreboard showed Golubic had turned things around, leading 3-2 after Andreeva’s dominant start.
Andreeva’s latest victory in Rome isn’t just another notch—it slots into a broader clay-court campaign. The WTA reported that the No. 8 seed dispatched Antonia Ruzic 6-1, 6-0 in just 66 minutes on Thursday, her 27th win this season. That total draws her even with Elena Rybakina, both now sharing the tour lead in victories.
Rome hosts a WTA 1000, running on clay from May 5-17, one of the circuit’s top-tier stops. Andreeva lands the No. 8 seed, per the WTA’s entry list, joining a draw led by Aryna Sabalenka, Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula.
Ranked 90th, Golubic advanced after knocking out the 29th seed Maya Joint 7-5, 6-2 in the round of 64. According to WTA stats, the Swiss managed to convert five of her 13 break chances, wrapping up the win in 1 hour and 38 minutes.
The market outlook turned out more nuanced than the seeding numbers implied. Bradley Gibbs at SportyTrader, writing ahead of the match, said Andreeva “should win”—and probably in straight sets. Even so, his pick went the other way: Golubic +6.5 games, a handicap position that would still pay off as long as Golubic didn’t lose by more than six games. SportyTrader
Earlier this week, bettors were already eyeing Golubic. Kane Webb over at Last Word on Sports flagged her as a value pick ahead of the Joint match, pointing to Joint’s comeback from a lower back injury and extended absence. Webb argued Joint “might not be the better player on this day.” Last Word On Sports
The field has shifted quickly. On Saturday in Rome, TNT Sports highlighted Gauff’s three-set victory against Solana Sierra, Sabalenka falling to Sorana Cirstea, and Jasmine Paolini losing to Elise Mertens. Andreeva’s part of the draw, at least on paper, is looking a lot less predictable now.
Sky Sports billed the matchup as “V. Golubic v M. Andreeva,” calling it a WTA Tour third-round tilt at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. According to the broadcaster’s listings, the match was set for live coverage on its tennis schedule on May 9. Sky Sports
For Andreeva, the real concern isn’t Golubic’s ranking—it’s her return game, which has been sharp throughout Rome. Golubic’s already knocked off a seed and given herself plenty of looks on return, turning sets unpredictable on this slower red clay where holds of serve are never a given.
But that opening set shifted things Andreeva’s way. Should she finish the job, Rome becomes another highlight in a year where her clay-court results—including that Madrid final—and relentless return pressure have put her high on the radar ahead of Roland Garros.
