It promises to be another exciting day of WTA Rome action, with the rest of the seeded players taking to the court for the first time on Day 4. This includes Maria Sakkari’s tough opening match against the Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva. That contest is one of four predicted in this article. As always, we at LWOT predict all the Day 4 WTA Rome matches. We split them between four articles. The other articles feature Ons Jabeur vs Sofia Kenin, Aryna Sabalenka vs Katie Volynets, and Elena Rybakina vs Irina-Camelia Begu. Who do you think will advance?
WTA Rome Day 4 Predictions
Jelena Ostapenko vs Anastasia Potapova
Head-to-head: Ostapenko 1-0 Potapova
Ostapenko’s level has dropped somewhat since the North American hard court swing in March after an excellent start to the year, which saw her win two titles. Potapova has won all three of her opening round matches during the clay-court season but is seeking to string consecutive wins together for the first time. It will be hard for the Russian to play her usual aggressive game due to Ostapenko’s hyper-attacking style. Although the Latvian is inconsistent, Potapova’s defense is unlikely to withstand the powerful hitting of her opponent in Rome.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Caroline Garcia vs Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Head-to-head: Garcia 4-1 Cocciaretto
Garcia won a thrilling match between these two just a few weeks ago in Rouen. She trailed 5-3 in the deciding set but rallied to prevail 6-1 3-6 7-5. As is often the case, the outcome of this match is on Garcia’s racket. The 2022 WTA Finals champion possesses the greater firepower, but she has struggled with how many balls Cocciaretto retrieves in their last two matches, with the Italian winning their meeting in Warsaw last year. Overall, Garcia is backed to find enough big shots to triumph, but anything is possible in this one.
Prediction: Garcia in 3
Dayana Yastremska vs Laura Siegemund
Head-to-head: Yastremska 2-0 Siegemund
Yastremska has struggled since her run to the Australian Open semifinal in January. This has the potential to be a tricky first-round for her. Siegemund makes her opponents play a lot of balls and defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia on clay last month, before almost doing the same against Marta Kostyuk in Stuttgart. Nonetheless, Yastremska is still the favourite to progress. The Ukrainian thrives most when she has time on her shots. Siegemund will give her that, which is likely to be the decisive factor in this matchup.
Prediction: Yastremska in 2
Maria Sakkari vs Varvara Gracheva
Head-to-head: Sakkari 1-0 Gracheva
Sakkari had a setback in Madrid against Beatriz Haddad Maia, who the Greek has a poor record against. However, the 2022 French Open semfinalist will still be happy with how her relationship with new coach David Witt is progressing, with Sakkari looking more confident on the court. She should make a positive start against Gracheva. The 23-year-old comfortably defeated wildcard Federica Di Sarra in the last round, but her overall season has been underwhelming so far. Sakkari’s greater firepower is likely to overwhelm Gracheva in Rome.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
