Well, here we are, ready to kick off another two week Masters event. I’m definitely not in love with this format, but let’s do a preview of the WTA Rome Masters event, as there will still be some quality tennis played if Madrid is anything to go by.
Poland’s Iga Swiatek is looking to lift the trophy for the third time. After getting over the line against Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid, it’s hard to think she won’t be there at the pointy end again.
Her draw looks pretty decent, and I don’t see too many tricky match-ups until the semis, probably against Coco Gauff. She may meet Madison Keys or Marketa Vondrousova in the quarters, but on paper, it’s a fairly smooth path.
Gauff has been solid this year, but since her Auckland win at the start of the year, she is yet to reach a final. If Swiatek has a dip in energy after a few big weeks, maybe she can sneak past her.
Emma Navarro is putting together a nice season, but after pulling out of the quarter-finals in Lleida last week, her fitness may be an issue. She will play the winner of Andreeva and Badosa, which may be an opportunity for one of those players to sneak through the draw. I would love to see Badosa string a few wins together, and I feel this might be the week.
The rest of the top half of the draw isn’t overly exciting on paper to be honest. The tennis world is still hoping Naomi Osaka will find some of her old form. While there have been glimpses, it still seems like it’s some way away unfortunately.
The number 7 seed, and Australian Open finalist, Zheng Qinwen, has really struggled of late, having not won consecutive matches since February. There was talk around her easy draw in Melbourne, and her form since then would suggest she’s not quite up to top ten competition yet.
Maria Sakkari is starting to look a little more dangerous than she was at the start of the year, and with a fairly decent draw, could find herself in the quarter finals against the defending champion, Elena Rybakina. She will have to navigate a few tricky match-ups, against possibly the home town hero of this year, Jasmine Paolini, who is up to number 12 in the rankings.
If Paolini does get through Sakkari, there’s a high probability she will take on Rybakina, in a match up of their epic quarter final in Stuttgart last month.
However, as is always the case with tennis, there are no certainties, and if there’s one player Rybakina wouldn’t be too keen on meeting in the 4th round, it’s the American, Danielle Collins, who defeated her in Miami. Collins is having the season of her life, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. One gets the feeling she is going to really target the big events as she finishes her career.
Another player in this section worth mentioning, is last year’s runner-up, Anhelina Kalinina. I certainly don’t expect her to repeat the effort though, and she might find herself tumbling down the rankings a little after this week.
Although Aryna Sabalenka has never had a great deal of success in Rome, her form of late would suggest that it will come. And it might be this week if fatigue isn’t a factor. She is likely to come up against her nemesis, Dayana Yastremska in the third round though. Yastremska has beaten her in all three matches, so this will be an interesting match to watch, should it eventuate.
Ons Jabeur has had a fairly tough year so far, Jelena Ostapenko is the kind of player that could win the whole event, or lose in straight sets in round 1, and Anna Kalinskaya hasn’t looked great on the clay. This leaves the bottom quarter quite open outside of Aryna Sabalenka, and could be a fun section to keep an eye on.
Predictions for Rome: To be honest, the top 3 seem to be putting a gap on the rest, so while there are bound to be upsets along the way, it’s hard to see who will dethrone the usual suspects.
Semi-finals:
Swiatek v Gauff
Rybakina v Sabalenka
Final:
Swiatek v Rybakina
