1997 Italian Open – Women's doubles

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Irina Spîrlea were the defending champions but only Spîrlea competed that year with Gigi Fernández.

Women's doubles
1997 Italian Open
1996 Champions	Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Irina Spîrlea
Champions	Nicole Arendt Manon Bollegraf
Runners-up	Conchita Martínez Patricia Tarabini
Score	6–2, 6–4
Draw	28
Seeds	8

Fernández and Spîrlea lost in the quarterfinals to Nicole Arendt and Manon Bollegraf.

Arendt and Bollegraf won in the final 6–2, 6–4 against Conchita Martínez and Patricia Tarabini.^[1]

Seeds

Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated. The top four seeded teams received byes into the second round.

1. Larisa Savchenko / Helena Suková (second round)
2. Nicole Arendt / Manon Bollegraf (champions)
3. Alexandra Fusai / Nathalie Tauziat (quarterfinals)
4. Yayuk Basuki / Caroline Vis (semifinals)
5. Gigi Fernández / Irina Spîrlea (quarterfinals)
6. Conchita Martínez / Patricia Tarabini (final)
7. Sabine Appelmans / Miriam Oremans (second round)
8. Alexia Dechaume-Balleret / Sandrine Testud (first round)

Draw

Key

• Q = Qualifier
• WC = Wild card
• LL = Lucky loser
• Alt = Alternate
• ITF = ITF entry
• PR = Protected ranking
• SR = Special ranking
• SE = Special exempt
• JE = Junior exempt
• JR = Junior Accelerator Programme entrant
• CO = College Accelerator Programme entrant
• NG = Next Gen Accelerator Program entrant
• w/o = Walkover
• r = Retired
• d = Defaulted

Finals

	Final
	6	Conchita Martínez Patricia Tarabini	2	4
	2	Nicole Arendt Manon Bollegraf	6	6

Top half

	First round							Second round							Quarterfinals							Semifinals
								1	L Savchenko H Suková	7	2	5
		A Kournikova E Likhovtseva	6	6					A Kournikova E Likhovtseva	6	6	7
	LL	B Fulco-Villella L Pleming	2	0												A Kournikova E Likhovtseva	7	6
		B Schett P Schnyder	6	6												B Schett P Schnyder	6	4
		I Gorrochategui F Perfetti	3	3					B Schett P Schnyder	6	5	7
		C Rubin B Schultz-McCarthy	4	7	4			7	S Appelmans M Oremans	1	7	5
	7	S Appelmans M Oremans	6	5	6																		A Kournikova E Likhovtseva	6	3
																						6	C Martínez P Tarabini	7	6
								3	A Fusai N Tauziat	6	6
		A Grossman K Habšudová	6	6					A Grossman K Habšudová	3	4
		M Saeki S-T Wang	3	3											3	A Fusai N Tauziat	2	3
		R Hiraki F Labat	3	6	6										6	C Martínez P Tarabini	6	6
		M Murić A Olsza	6	2	3				R Hiraki F Labat	2	1
		R Dragomir I Majoli	4	7	4			6	C Martínez P Tarabini	6	6
	6	C Martínez P Tarabini	6	5	6

Bottom half

	First round							Second round							Quarterfinals							Semifinals
	8	A Dechaume-Balleret S Testud	6	4	5
		P Suárez D Van Roost	3	6	7				P Suárez D Van Roost	6	6
		A Coetzer M Pierce	6	6					A Coetzer M Pierce	2	4
		A Ellwood R McQuillan	2	0												P Suárez D Van Roost	6	4
		E Callens A-G Sidot	6												4	Y Basuki C Vis	7	6
		L Montalvo H Nagyová	2	r					E Callens A-G Sidot	4	2
								4	Y Basuki C Vis	6	6
																						4	Y Basuki C Vis	2	6
	5	G Fernández I Spîrlea	6	6																		2	N Arendt M Bollegraf	6	7
	Q	A Sugiyama Y Yoshida	1	4				5	G Fernández I Spîrlea	6	4	6
		A Canepa G Casoni	0	6	2				S Cecchini L Garrone	1	6	2
		S Cecchini L Garrone	6	4	6										5	G Fernández I Spîrlea	4	6	5
		C Morariu M Paz	6	5	3										2	N Arendt M Bollegraf	6	3	7
		D Graham R Grande	2	7	6				D Graham R Grande	3	1
								2	N Arendt M Bollegraf	6	6