The Italy Major lost its highest-seeded remaining men's pair on Saturday. Franco Stupaczuk and Miguel Yanguas, ranked No. 6 and No. 7, exited in the last 16 in straight sets — beaten by a pairing carrying half their ranking pedigree. On the women's side, a Roman wildcard turned the day into her own.
Jerónimo González / Lucas Campagnolo 6-4 7-6 Franco Stupaczuk / Miguel Yanguas
Ranked No. 14 and No. 21, Jerónimo González and Lucas Campagnolo were the underdogs by a clear margin against the No. 6 and No. 7. The scoreline says they were never behind it. Stupaczuk and Yanguas, the highest-ranked men's pair left in the bottom half, are out.
González and Campagnolo took the first set 6-4 and then held their nerve when it mattered. The second set went to a tiebreak, and it was the challengers who found the cleaner ball under pressure, closing it 7-6 to avoid a decider entirely. Campagnolo's work off the glass and González's steadier bandeja kept Stupaczuk from imposing his usual physicality at the net.
It is the kind of loss that stings on the seeding sheet. Stupaczuk and Yanguas, an experimental pairing on paper, leave without the ranking points they were expected to bank here, and the bottom quarter of the men's draw opens up considerably.
Nuria Rodríguez / Giulia Dal Pozzo 6-4 0-6 7-6 Carolina Orsi / Patricia Llaguno
The home wildcards produced the day's wildest set line. Giulia Dal Pozzo (No. 50) and Nuria Rodríguez took the first 6-4, were then bageled 6-0 in a second set that lasted barely twenty minutes, and somehow reset for the decider.
That third set went the distance and into a tiebreak, where Dal Pozzo and Rodríguez edged it 7-6 to survive against Carolina Orsi and the more experienced Patricia Llaguno. It was a match that swung entirely on composure rather than pattern — after the bagel, the pair that recovered fastest won.
Nuria Rodríguez / Giulia Dal Pozzo 3-6 6-3 6-2 Sofia Araujo / Claudia Fernández
Then they did it again. Hours after surviving the last 16, Dal Pozzo and Rodríguez knocked out the No. 6 and No. 8, Claudia Fernández and Sofía Araujo, to reach the semifinals of their home Major. On ranking alone this is the biggest upset of the women's day.
Araujo and Fernández took the opening set 6-3 and looked the part. But the wildcards grew into the match, breaking the rhythm of the favourites' net game and turning the second and third sets around 6-3, 6-2. A same-day double — two matches, one against a seeded pair — and a run that now belongs to the tournament's biggest storyline.
Arturo Coello / Agustín Tapia 6-1 6-1 David Gala / Enzo Jensen 6-1 6-1
No fuss from the No. 1 men's pair. Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia dropped four games across two sets against David Gala and Enzo Jensen, a routine last-16 exercise that kept legs fresh for the weekend. The favourites remain the clear benchmark in the top half.
Gemma Triay / Delfi Brea 6-1 6-1 Patricia Martínez / Claudia Escacena
The top women's seeds matched their male counterparts move for move. Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea brushed aside Patricia Martínez and Claudia Escacena 6-1, 6-1, conceding just two games. Efficient, one-sided, and exactly what the No. 1 pair needed on a day when a wildcard was tearing up the other half of the draw.
Tomorrow the semifinals sharpen the picture: Triay and Brea look imperious, but the question everyone in Rome is asking is how far Dal Pozzo and Rodríguez can push their home run.