VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV has apparently made peace with Jannik Sinner. The top-ranked tennis player visited the new pope on Wednesday, gave him a tennis racket and offered to play, during an off day for Sinner at the Italian Open, the Vatican said.

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner overcame a brief lapse during the first set of a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Dutch qualifier Jesper De Jong in his second match back on tour in front of his home crowd at the Italia

ROME — Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka fought back from a set down against Sofia Kenin to advance at the Italian Open on Sunday. Kenin, the No. 31-seeded American, won the first set of the third round match in Rome 6-3, but Sabalenka powered back to take the next two sets by the same score.

Home favourite Jasmine Paolini recovers from a set down and a 4-0 deficit in the second set to edge past Diana Shnaider and reach the Italian Open semi-finals.

The Italian Open match between Alex de Minaur and Hugo Dellien was temporarily suspended on Monday morning. Medical staff were called in to help a member of the crowd while De Minaur held a slender lead early in the contest.

Plastic sheets cover the field during a thunderstorm prior to the start round of sixteen match between Jannik Sinner and Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome,

Jasmine Paolini became the first Italian woman to reach the Italian Open semi-finals since 2014 when she beat Russian world number 11 Diana Shnaider 6-7(1) 6-4 6-2 on Tuesday.