After overcoming a set deficit to defeat Sofia Kenin 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Sunday, Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the Italian Open’s round of 16 and continued her pursuit of her maiden Rome crown.

After defeating former Australian Open champion Kenin in a close match, world number one Sabalenka advanced to face Marta Kostyuk, who defeated Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-2.

Despite her poor performance on Sunday, the Belarusian has advanced to the final of her past four events, winning in Miami and Madrid, and is currently the clear favorite at the Foro Italico.

The losing finalist from the previous year was not at all present in the opening set, repeatedly misplacing her backhands before seeming to gripe about the center court surface.

“I’m really glad I was able to cool down and… start focusing on the game and the right things because I was completely off,” Sabalenka said to reporters.

“You have to stay low and you’re always on the back foot because this court is really slow and the ball drops a lot, which is definitely good for her (Kenin’s) style and game.”

Even as she gradually altered the tide of the match, breaking Kenin at the seventh time of asking in the second game of the third set before getting broken again to love right away, Sabalenka kept complaining about her performance.

However, she ultimately had too much for Kenin, demonstrating her resilience while struggling with her own performance.

After three-time champion Iga Swiatek was eliminated by Danielle Collins on Saturday, Sabalenka has a fantastic chance to capture her third 1000 series title of the year.

Sabalenka or Swiatek continued, “I think she’s facing really tough challenges, both on and off the court.”

Level is there, so she’ll be able to bounce back on top of her game after taking a little break. She is a victor.

Coco Gauff, one of Sabalenka’s main competitors for the women’s crown, easily defeated Magda Linette in straight sets 7-5, 6-3, and is predicted to defeat Emma Raducanu in the upcoming round.

Arthur Fils of France defeated Tsitsipas, a past Rome finalist, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a thrilling encounter that culminated with the two of them fighting over the net.

In the seventh game of the second set, Fils, who had set up a matchup with the defending champion Alexander Zverev, was struck by a Tsitsipas shot.

Additionally, Tsitsipas was upset with Fils for not accepting his apology, which led to a post-match altercation that prompted the umpire to get up from his seat.

After defeating Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 6-1, Daniil Medvedev will take on local favorite Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 6-3 after Sabalenka on center court.

Number nine in the world In his first week as a member of the world’s top 10, Musetti became the first of the four Italians remaining in the men’s competition to go to the round of 16.

Later at the Grandstand Arena, Francesco Passaro, a wild card entrant, will take on 23rd seed Karen Khachanov.

In the final game of the day, Carlos Alcaraz will take center court to play Laslo Djere in an attempt to win his first Rome title.

After defeating Mariano Navone on Saturday in his first match since his three-month doping sentence ended, Jannik Sinner, the third-seeded player in the men’s division, may meet Alcaraz in the championship round.