Sara Errani’s journey in the Australian Open qualifiers ended in the second round after a swift defeat against 17-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova. The Italian, ranked 107th in the WTA rankings, was beaten in just over an hour, losing 0-6, 2-6 to the Czech teenager, ranked 197th. Errani will now shift her focus to the doubles tournament, where she will partner with Jasmine Paolini, and the mixed doubles alongside Andrea Vavassori.
Disappointment also came in the men’s draw as Mattia Bellucci, ranked 101st ATP, was eliminated. The 23-year-old from Busto Arsizio was defeated 6-7, 4-6 in one hour and 41 minutes by France’s Terence Atmane, ranked 156th ATP, missing the chance to advance to the final qualification round.
However, positive news arrived from Matteo Gigante and Francesco Passaro, who both secured spots in the final qualifying round. Gigante, ranked 146th ATP, dispatched Austria’s Lukas Neumayer (216th ATP) in just 77 minutes with a 6-3, 6-4 win. In the next round, the Roman player will face Henrique Rocha (174th ATP), who stunned Marton Fucsovics, the 100th-ranked Hungarian.
Passaro's path to victory was far more grueling. The 24-year-old from Perugia, ranked 105th ATP, battled for nearly three hours before defeating Spain's Javier Barranco Cosano (227th ATP) in a hard-fought comeback, winning 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8). Passaro will now face seasoned Georgian player Nikoloz Basilashvili, a former world No. 16 currently ranked 210th ATP, in the decisive match for a spot in the Australian Open main draw.