Russian tennis player Diana Shnaider fought back to secure a spot in the third round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome.
The 22-year-old Russian, seeded 19th, defeated world No. 62 Talia Gibson of Australia 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in her opening match on Tuesday. As a seeded player, Shnaider received a first-round bye and entered the competition directly at the second-round stage. 
Shnaider, currently ranked 20th in the world and the third-highest Russian on the WTA tour, has five career singles titles. Her next opponent will be either Japan’s Naomi Osaka or Germany’s Eva Lys.
Fellow Russian Liudmila Samsonova, the 20th seed, also began her Rome campaign with a win, defeating American Ann Li 6-4, 6-3. She will next face either Austria’s Anastasia Potapova or Czechia’s Karolina Muchova.
