Why the Internazionali BNL d'Italia matters in 2026
The Internazionali BNL d'Italia runs in Rome, Italy from 6–17 May, played on slow red clay. Bounces sit higher than on any other tour surface and rallies run longer, which suits heavy topspin and punishes flat hitters. It is a Masters 1000 / WTA 1000, the tier directly below the Slams and mandatory for the world top thirty outside of injury. The singles champion takes 1,000 ranking points, plus a prize pool that sits second only to the Slams.
Play starts in 3 days, on Wednesday 6 May, with the main draw running through to Sunday 17 May.