With the seeds getting involved in the action, WTA Rome is well and truly underway with a number of exciting match-ups set on Day 3. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Who do you think will win?
WTA Rome Day 3 Predictions
Martina Trevisan vs Karolina Muchova
Head-to-head: Muchova 2-0 Trevisan
The third meeting already this season between Trevisan and Muchova, the Czech winning 6-2 6-2 in Doha and 6-4 in the third in Indian Wells. Trevisan has struggled for most of the season though she did pop up with a quarterfinal run in Miami. In Madrid, the Italian eliminated Eugenie Bouchard and Alycia Parks before falling to Jessica Pegula in three. Muchova is 17-6 on the year, successfully rebuilding her ranking with an Indian Wells quarterfinal being the peak so far. The Czech took a second-round loss to Irina-Camelia Begu in Madrid but beat Kamilla Rakhimova in her Rome opener in straight sets. I expect a strong battle here with many extended rallies but I see Trevisan winning out.
Prediction: Trevisan in 3
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Liudmila Samsonova vs Anett Kontaveit
Head-to-head: first meeting
Outside of a run to the Abu Dhabi final, Samsonova has struggled for most of the season so far. On clay, the 24-year-old got humbled 2-6 0-6 by Barbora Krejcikova in Stuttgart but bounced back to reach the fourth round in Madrid with wins over Maryna Zanevska and Jelena Ostapenko. Samsonova will be looking for her first win in Rome, going 0-3 across main draw and qualifying in the Italian capital. Former No. 2 Kontaveit has dropped to No. 82 in the rankings after missing two months with injury and getting off to a slow start in 2023. The Estonian returned at the start of April in lower-level Billie Jean King Cup, dismissing her first three opponents very easily (all ranked outside of Top 300) before losing to Despina Papamichail. Kontaveit took a 2-6 2-6 loss to Karolina Muchova in Madrid but has kicked off Rome with a 6-1 6-1 win over Alycia Parks. The Estonian will be looking to emulate her 2017 and 2018 Rome runs to the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively but has failed to advance past the second round in her last three appearances. This could be a tight match that I can see Kontaveit winning.
Prediction: Kontaveit in 3
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Donna Vekic vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head-to-head: Vekic 3-0 Sasnovich
Vekic has dominated Sasnovich in their first three meetings, not dropping a set. The Croat has had a strong season, reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals and winning her fourth WTA title in Monterrey. Since then, Vekic is 2-4 with just one clay win. The 26-year-old was competitive in Stuttgart, beating Ekaterina Alexandrova and pushing Karolina Pliskova to a third-set tiebreak, but took a straight-set loss to Rebeka Masarova in Madrid. Sasnovich has struggled this season, 7-10 in 2023 without back-to-back wins. In Madrid, the Belarusian beat Elina Svitolina but lost to Marie Bouzkova. Sasnovich pulled out a good win over Leylah Fernandez in the first round of Rome though, so she might be primed to break her negative streak against Vekic.
Prediction: Sasnovich in 2
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Ons Jabeur vs Paula Badosa
Head-to-head: Badosa 3-1 Jabeur
Defending finalist Ons Jabeur took February off after an early Australian Open exit and failed to find her form on American hard courts as she went 1-2 across Indian Wells and Miami with a 2-6 2-6 loss to Varvara Gracheva. Jabeur got her form together on the Charleston green clay, beating Daria Kasatkina and Belinda Bencic to take the title without dropping a set. The Tunisian pulled off a comeback against Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart and beat Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3 6-0 but was forced to retire from her match against Iga Swiatek after just three games due to a left calf tear. Jabeur’s first opponent back will be former No. 2 Paula Badosa, who has started to find some form on clay, notching beatdowns over Daria Kasatkina and Coco Gauff in Stuttgart and Madrid though not getting a deep run together. In her Rome opener, the Spaniard had to fight hard to get the win against Anna-Lena Friedsam in a third-set tiebreak. Badosa has won three of their four previous matches, though this will be their first on outdoor clay. She will test Jabeur in her first match back but if the Tunisian is physically ready, I expect her to win.
Prediction: Jabeur in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
