1979 Italian Open (tennis)#Men's singles

{{TennisEventInfo|1979|Italian Open|

| date=21–27 May (M)
7–13 May (W)

| edition=36th

| prize_money=$175,000 (M)
$100,000 (W)

| draw=64{{tooltip|S|Men's singles}} / 32{{tooltip|D|Men's doubles}} (M)
32/{{tooltip|S|Women's singles}} / 16{{tooltip|D|Women's doubles}} (W)

| surface=Clay / outdoor

| location=Rome, Italy

| venue=Foro Italico

| champms={{flagicon|USA}} Vitas Gerulaitis{{cite web|title=1979 Rome – Men's singles draw|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/archive/rome/416/1979/draws?matchtype=singles|publisher=Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)}}

| champws={{flagicon|USA}} Tracy Austin

| champmd={{flagicon|USA}} Peter Fleming / {{flagicon|TCH}} Tomáš Šmíd{{cite web|title=1979 Rome – Men's doubles draw|url=https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/archive/rome/416/1979/draws?matchtype=doubles|publisher=Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)}}

| champwd={{flagicon|NLD}} Betty Stöve / {{flagicon|AUS}} Wendy Turnbull

}}

The 1979 Italian Open was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament that was played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy. It was the 36th edition of the tournament. The men's tournament was part of the 1979 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix while the women's tournament, held separately for the first time, was part of the Colgate Series (Category AAA). The women's event was played from 7 May through 13 May 1979 while the men's event was organized from 21 May through 27 May 1979. After a final that lasted five hours and nine minutes second-seeded Vitas Gerulaitis won the men's singles title, his second Italian Open title after 1977, and the accompanying $28,000 first-prize money.{{cite news|title=Gerulaitis Outlasts Vilas at Rome|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GEgjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Kc0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1134%2C4497242|work=The Palm Beach Post|date=28 May 1979|page=D3}} The women's singles title was won by third-seeded Tracy Austin. In the semifinal Austin defeated compatriot Chris Evert-Lloyd which ended Evert-Lloyd's record 125-match winning streak on clay that had started in August 1973.{{cite news|title=Lloyd streak was one of top feats in tennis|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Q5YyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SucFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6669%2C4375137|work=Lawrence Journal-World|agency=AP|date=20 May 1979|page=6B}}{{cite book|title=World of Tennis 1980 : a BP yearbook|year=1980|publisher=Queen Anne Press|location=London|isbn=9780362020120|oclc=237184610|pages=88–89, 144–145|editor=John Barrett|editor-link=John Barrett (tennis)}}