The main draw action in the WTA Rome Open kicks off on Monday and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Alize Cornet vs Simona Halep. But who will advance?
WTA Rome Day 1 Predictions
Daria Kasatkina vs Tamara Zidansek
Head-to-head: Zidansek 1-0 Kasatkina
Tamara Zidansek has a lot of points to defend this clay-court season, especially with her Roland Garros semifinal coming off pretty soon. The Slovenian hasn’t been close to that form though, winning just one match in two events on the dirt so far (plus going 2-1 in Billie Jean King Cup). The second round last week wasn’t a bad sign though and this might be an opportunity for her to get a much-needed win. Daria Kasatkina is still very up-and-down and would rather contest this on a faster clay court like Stuttgart or Madrid.
Prediction: Zidansek in 3
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Aliaksandra Sasnovich vs Veronika Kudermetova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Veronika Kudermetova made the finals at Istanbul recently, but was easily taken out by Anastasia Potapova. She also won one less game against Paula Badosa in Madrid. While it’s not exactly enough to pound the alarm yet, the Russian will arrive in this match relatively undercooked. Meanwhile, Aliaksandra Sasnovich had one of the smoothest qualifying campaigns, defeating Nuria Brancaccio and Andrea Petkovic in straight sets. This feels like a toss-up with Kudermetova usually the better player, but the Belarusian way more familiar with the conditions and in a better rhythm.
Prediction: Sasnovich in 3
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Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs Leylah Fernandez
Head-to-head: Fernandez 1-0 Pavlyuchenkova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has been tormented by injuries in 2022 so far, playing in just two events – the Australian Open, and Madrid last week. The Russian arrives in Rome lacking match practice and that might end up being pivotal in this matchup. Leylah Fernandez hasn’t been impressive at all this clay-court season, but the former Roland Garros girls’ singles champion knows how to handle herself on this surface. She’s been competing regularly, which gives her a slight advantage (even if it’s been mostly first or second-round exits recently).
Prediction: Fernandez in 3
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Cori Gauff vs Angelique Kerber
Head-to-head: Kerber 1-0 Gauff
Angelique Kerber won this one at Wimbledon last year, but a lot has changed since then. Most importantly, the German hasn’t been too competitive on the WTA Tour recently with just two wins and seven losses this year. On the bright side, most of her defeats came against real quality opposition. Clay has always been a weaker surface for her though and with slower conditions making Cori Gauff’s forehand less of a target, her chances here look pretty slim with how out of form she’s been.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
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