Bitter debutante ball in Rome for three young Italians

Bitter debut in the main draw at the Foro Italico in Rome for three young Italian tennis players. The eyes of most fans were on 17-year-old Tyra Caterina Grant, world number 335.

The U.S.-born (she is the daughter of basketball player Tyrone Grant) but born and raised in Italy, in her second match in a WTA major circuit draw after the first round in Miami, was beaten in a comeback by Croatian Antonia Ruzic, number 117, with a score of 3-6 6-3 7-5 after more than two and a half hours of battle.

A real shame for Grant, who was ahead 4-2 in the third set and even had two match points at 5-4 15-40 on her opponent’s serve but then gave up the last three games quite cleanly.

Two other debutants in the main draw on the Capitoline clay were defeated, both sharply beaten by two Canadians. Arianna Zucchini, 21-year-old number 620, succumbed 6-2 6-3 to Victoria Mboko, number 156, while Federica Urgesi, 20-year-old number 455, could do nothing against Bianca Andreescu, number 121 and a noble decadent who is trying to return to high levels, who overwhelmed her 6-0 6-3.