Former World No. 2s Paula Badosa and Petra Kvitova have withdrawn from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, both pulling out before their second-round matches in Rome.
Badosa, the tournament’s No. 9 seed, was scheduled to face Naomi Osaka. However, the Spaniard cited a persistent back injury that has troubled her throughout 2025. Badosa also retired in the Merida quarterfinals in February due to the same issue. Since then, she has withdrawn from Indian Wells, gave a walkover in Miami, and missed her home event in Madrid.
Before the Madrid Open, Badosa admitted her back was still not fully recovered and said she had relied on pain-killing injections during her 2024 climb back into the Top 10. With her withdrawal, Osaka will instead face lucky loser Viktorija Golubic as she looks to extend her six-match winning streak on clay.
Kvitova, who won her opening match against Irina-Camelia Begu in her return from maternity leave, also pulled out due to a right lower leg injury. This gives No. 27 seed Ons Jabeur a walkover into the third round, where she will face either No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini or her opponent in the second round.
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