Italian Open Tennis In Rome Pushed Forward To September 14 Start

Faizan Hashmi Published August 14, 2020 | 01:30 AM

Milan, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Aug, 2020 ) :The Italian Open tennis tournament will be played a week earlier than scheduled in Rome with the main draw from September 14-21, organisers confirmed on Thursday.

This year's edition of the clay-court tournament had been scheduled to start at the Foro Italico on May 11, but was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The cancellation of the rescheduled Madrid Open, because of a fresh outbreak of coronavirus, has allowed the Italian tournament to take place a week earlier than anticipated.

It will now be played after the US Open from August 31 to September 13, and before the French Open, which begins on September 27.

"In the next few days it will be decided whether the men's qualification draw will be expanded to 64 players and in this case the matches will start on September 11," the Italian Tennis Federation (FIT) said.

"Otherwise it will start on Saturday 12."US Open semi-finalists will have a first-round bye to the tournament and will not play before September 16th at the earliest.

Tennis returned after a five-month break at the WTA Palermo event in Italy last week.