Mboko Awaits After Grant’s First Rome Win in Three Sets
mboko is next for Tyra Caterina Grant after she earned her first career victory at her home tournament in Rome, beating Lisa Pigato 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 in 2 hours and 2 minutes. The 18-year-old Italian turned a slow start into a first-round win that moved her into the second round at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia.
Grant Turns Around Rome Match
Grant dropped the opening set 1-6 before taking control with a cleaner second set and then closing out the decider 6-4. The result gave her a first career match win in Rome and extended a run that has already included more than one step forward on clay this spring.
Two weeks before Rome, she qualified in Madrid and beat Elsa Jacquemot 6-1, 6-2 for her first career main-draw win. That came after a shoulder injury kept her out of what would have been her Grand Slam qualifying debut at the Australian Open.
Rome Pressure On Grant
The Rome result also sat inside a bigger shift in her career. Grant was born in Rome to an American father and an Italian mother, grew up near Milan, represented the United States as a junior and chose to play under the Italian flag 12 months ago.
She had already been under close attention in Italy before this week. Last September, she was part of Italy's winning Billie Jean King Cup team, and she reached a career-high ranking of No. 206 last November before later sitting at No. 234.
That path has not been smooth in Rome. In her debut there last year, Grant lost to Antonia Ruzic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 after holding two match points. This time she finished the job, and the reward is a second-round meeting with No. 10 seed Victoria Mboko.
Victoria Mboko Awaits
Mboko now stands between Grant and a deeper run at her home event, where the draw has already tested the 18-year-old's recovery and focus. Grant has also built a résumé that explains why the attention has followed her: she was a former junior No. 2 and has won girls' doubles titles at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Her next match gives Rome another high-profile checkpoint, but the more immediate takeaway is simpler: after the loss to Ruzic, the missed Australian Open qualifying chance and the slow climb back through Madrid, Grant finally got a win on home soil and earned the shot at Mboko.
