Roman rulers: A decade of winners in Italy
The clay court season moves to Italy, where Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are among those to have tasted success in the past.
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Jelana Jankovic defended the crown she won in 2007, defeating Alizé Cornet, 6-2, 6-2, in the 2008 final. (Getty)
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Dinara Safina justified her No.1 seed in 2009, easing past Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3, 6-2. (Getty)
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Clay court specialist María José Martínez Sánchez beat Jelena Jankovic, 7-6(5), 7-5, in 2010 to claim the biggest title of her career.
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Maria Sharapova beat WTA World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki on the way to the final in 2011, where she defeated Samantha Stosur, 6-2, 6-4.
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Sharapova was back to lift the crown in 2012, with Li Na beaten, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) in a thrilling final.
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Serena Williams took the honours in 2013, winning in Rome for the first tine since 2002. Victoria Azarenka was her final victim, 6-4, 6-3.
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Williams was again the winner in 2014, when she disappointed the home crowd by beating Italy’s Sara Errani, 6-3, 6-0. (Getty)
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In 2015, it was Sharapova who took her third title. She recorded a 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 win over Carla Suárez Navarro in the final. (Getty)
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Williams wrestled the crown back in 2016. In an all-American final, she saw off the challenge of Madison Keys, 7-6(5), 6-3. (Getty)
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Elina Svitolina broke the six-year Serena-Sharapova duopoly in 2017 by beating Simona Halep, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the final. (Getty)
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