World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will start her 2022 WTA Internazionali BNL d’Italia campaign on Wednesday in Rome. Her opponent will be the up-and-coming Elena-Gabriela Ruse. Will this be the end of a 23-match win streak of the Pole? Who do you think will advance?
WTA Rome Day 3 Predictions
Elena Rybakina vs Lauren Davis
Head-to-head: First meeting
Lauren Davis scored a huge upset over Jelena Ostapenko, but can she do that again? As in the previous matchup, she will mostly have to rely on her opponent with plenty of unforced errors. With her hyper-aggressive playing style, Elena Rybakina is certainly capable of doing that. But most of the time, there’s just not that much the American will be able to do if her opponent has a good day at the office.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Anhelina Kalinina vs Jessica Pegula
Head-to-head: 2-2
Jessica Pegula had a tough time against Liudmila Samsonova in the opening round and it won’t be getting much easier here. Anhelina Kalinina was in the quarterfinals at Madrid and last year performed incredibly well on this surface, though mostly on the ITF Tour (31 wins and 4 losses). Pegula was the runner-up last week, but her fuel tank might be running low by this point. Against an opponent as tough as Kalinina, that could be a huge issue.
Prediction: Kalinina in 3
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Maria Sakkari
Head-to-head: Sakkari 4-1
Maria Sakkari won both their clay-court meetings, but since the most recent one took place six years ago, it shouldn’t bear much importance in regards to this meeting. Ekaterina Alexandrova has been phenomenal recently, but most of her success came on faster clay courts like in Stuttgart or Madrid. It is yet to be seen if she can do this well here as she’s only played a very out of sorts Sloane Stephens so far. As it stands now, Maria Sakkari remains the favorite as her game is better suited to slower conditions than Alexandrova’s.
Prediction: Sakkari in 3
Iga Swiatek vs Elena-Gabriela Ruse
Head-to-head: First meeting
Iga Swiatek’s 23-match win streak will get snapped at some point in the future, but it’s unlikely to happen right away here. With the confidence she has and the form she’s in, everything depends on her level and what she’s able to bring to the court. Elena-Gabriela Ruse is capable of dominating her opponents but generally cannot maintain her best performances over long patches. That’s not going to cut it against the powerhouse that the Pole is right now.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Main Photo from Getty.
