ROME, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Top seed Aryna Sabalenka and defending champion Jasmine Paolini advanced to the third round of the 2026 Italian Open on Thursday, while Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas and Italian favorite Matteo Berrettini suffered early exits in the men's singles draw.

Sabalenka of Belarus defeated Czech player Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, 6-3 in straight sets. After an early exchange of breaks, the world No. 1 quickly took control of the match and never looked back, hitting 29 winners while committing just 13 unforced errors.

Ninth seed Paolini battled past qualifier Leolia Jeanjean 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4 in nearly three hours to survive a tough opening test.

Paolini failed to serve out the opening set while leading 5-3 before Jeanjean edged the tiebreak 7-4. The Italian responded strongly to level the match with a 6-2 second set and converted a crucial break point in the seventh game of the decider on her way to sealing a 6-4 victory.

Paolini described the match as "a bit of ups and downs," adding that she had also experienced fluctuations during her title run in Rome last year. The Italian said she had trained well in the buildup to the tournament and felt great before the event began. "I'm happy that I have another chance to play another match here in Rome," she said after the win.

Sixth seed Amanda Anisimova of the United States withdrew earlier in the day with a wrist injury. Lucky loser Elena-Gabriela Ruse replaced her in the draw but lost to Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko in three sets. Ostapenko will next face China's Zheng Qinwen in the third round.

In the men's singles first round, Berrettini lost in straight sets to Australia's Alexei Popyrin, disappointing the home crowd, while Tsitsipas fell to Czech player Tomas Machac.

Friday's action will see Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek begin their Rome campaigns, while China's Wang Xinyu is set to face Alexandra Eala of the Philippines. ■