11 AUSSIES REMAIN IN ROME AS ATP AND WTA DRAWS ARE RELEASED

The final ATP and WTA 1000 event on clay for the calendar year has 11 Australians still in the mix in Rome, either as a main draw entrant or as a qualifier battling one more round.

That number is guaranteed to drop to 10 Aussies due to Ajla Tomljanović and Olivia Gadecki squaring off for a spot in the first-round main draw, who both dispatched Italian wildcards in straight sets respectively.

Fourth-seed Maya Joint won her opening qualifying match, taking down María Lourdes Carlé 6-3 6-1, which included a streak of seven consecutive games by the 19-year-old Australian. She will face world No.87 Viktorija Golubic for a chance to reach back-to-back WTA 1000 main draws.

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Storm Hunter and Daria Saville failed to grab a set as they crashed out of qualifying.

Off the back of another career-high ranking of world No.60, Kimberly Birrell has been scheduled to play on centre court for her opening-round clash against Britain's Sonay Kartal, while 14th seed Daria Kasatkina enjoys the luxury of a first-round bye.

Tuesday May 6 Aussie schedule

Ajla Tomljanović v Olivia Gadecki (Not before 7:10pm AEST)

Kimberly Birrell v Sonay Kartal (Not before 10:30pm AEST)

Maya Joint v Viktorija Golubic (Not before 10:50pm AEST)

No Aussie men listed for qualifying means six players will partake in the main draw, with all eyes once again on Alex de Minaur.

The world No.8 will look to put a disappointing round of 16 exit in Madrid behind him as he is guaranteed to come up against an Italian in Luca Nardi or Flavio Cobolli in the second-round, before a semi-final with the returning Jannik Sinner could ensue.

Alexei Popyrin is the other Aussie male who is handed a first-round bye, with the current Montreal Masters 1000 champion locked in to play Aleksandar Kovacevic or a qualifier in the round of 64, with a potential date against Daniil Medvedev a possibility in the following round.

In an extraordinary stroke of luck, Jordan Thompson has once again been paired against big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, with the Sydneysider holding a 4-0 head-to-head record, having recently won in Miami and Monte Carlo.

Thompson skipped the Madrid Open as a result of an adductor injury, but for now, is scheduled to take the court in the Italian capital.

A tough test awaits Rinky Hijikata against Corentin Moutet, with clay the latter's best surface, while Aleksandar Vukic and Christopher O'Connell will face unknown qualifiers.

Last week, Vukic steered his season back in the right direction after snapping an 11-match winless run to reach the semi-finals of Portugal's Estoril Open.

Main draw matches for the men's singles will commence on Wednesday May 7.

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