Paula Badosa, Petra Kvitova out of Rome due to injuries

ROME, Italy—A star-studded schedule of women’s matches at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia took a hit early Thursday afternoon when Paula Badosa and Petra Kvitova, two former world No. 2s, were forced to withdraw before their respective second-round matches.

Badosa, who was set to open play on Grand Stand Arena against former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka, cited the recurring back injury that has sidelined her since March.

Read more: Paula Badosa knows she will retire young

Kvitova won the first match since returning from maternity leave back in February, but was unable to take the court against No. 27 seed Ons Jabeur due to a lower right leg injury.

Badosa gave an interview with Eurosport before the tournament where she confirmed she had resumed receiving injections to her back, which she had begun taking in 2024 as a last-ditch effort to heal what had become a chronic injury.

“I know I'm going to retire young and the next day I'll be straight into surgery,” she bleakly predicted following withdrawals from tournaments in Charleston and Madrid.

Read more: Joy—not results—brought Petra Kvitova back to tennis

Kvitova spoke about her comeback following her first-round win over Irina-Camelia Begu.

“It’s a lot of work I have to put in because I’m not where I wanted to be,” said the two-time Wimbledon champion. “It’s taking some time.”

Badosa was replaced in the draw by lucky loser Viktorija Golubic while Jabeur received a walkover into the third round.