Day 7 at the WTA 1000 event in Rome will feature all eight last 16 matchups, with an absolutely star-studded lineup made of the current top players in the world and even former Grand Slam champions like Jelena Ostapenko and Angelique Kerber. It should be an unforgettable day of women’s tennis at the Foro Italico. This article contains four matches, and we also predict the rest of the day’s matches in a separate article.
WTA Rome Day 7 Predictions
Madison Keys vs Sorana Cirstea
Head-to-head: Cirstea 2-0 Keys
Keys has been having a really good clay season, with a run to the semifinals in Madrid (where she only lost to Iga Swiatek) and now some good wins in Rome already. Cirstea is a veteran of the tour and remains a very high level player, but considering current form Keys should definitely have the edge here.
Prediction: Keys in 3
Rebecca Sramkova vs Jelena Ostapenko
Head-to-head: Sramkova 1-1 Ostapenko
Ostapenko has been having a nice resurgence lately and this is her last tune-up before returning to the stage of her greatest ever triumph in Paris. At this point, she should be feeling pretty confident and clearly has the edge on Sramkova, although the latter seems to be in really good form, what with five consecutive wins here in Rome (including qualifying).
Prediction: Ostapenko in 2
Iga Swiatek vs Angelique Kerber
Head-to-head: Swiatek 2-0 Kerber
Even at her best, Kerber was never comfortable on clay; in fact, she has won all other three Slams, but at Roland Garros her best result is one quarterfinal appearance. On the other hand, Iga Swiatek is a very clear cut best player in the world on clay and is looking for a third career title in Rome and a fourth at Roland Garros. On paper, it should be a complete mismatch here.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Naomi Osaka vs Qinwen Zheng
Head-to-head: Osaka 1-0 Zheng
Even at her best, Osaka never really felt comfortable or had any notable results on clay, but Zheng has been having a really poor season after her sensational run to the Australian Open final. It shoukd a very even match and it’s very hard to call, it’s one that could genuinely go either way.
Prediction: Osaka in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
