The WTA Rome tournament gets rolling on Tuesday. There’s a combination of second-round qualifying matches and first-round main draw matches on the schedule. Including qualifying, over 100 players went to Rome to compete. The qualifying winners get into the Round of 96 and will try to make a push for rankings points just before the French Open. A lot of players are facing matches that will affect their ability to qualify for important tournaments later this year. It’s a very busy day with a packed order of play. LWOS has our best bets for three matches. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.
WTA Rome
Krejcikova – Jacquemot: Time 5:00 EST
H2H: 0-0
Barbora Krejcikova hasn’t played since Dubai back in February. This marks her return to the WTA Tour just before the French Open, which she memorably won earlier this decade. Krejcikova’s opponent is Elsa Jacquemot, who lost on April 28 to Bianca Andreescu in a lower-level tournament after falling early in Madrid one week earlier.
Best Bet to Make
It’s true that Elsa Jacquemot is not playing good tennis. She has lost four of five matches and is certainly not in good form. It’s also true that Barbora Krejcikova has won multiple major championships and has had a very successful career. However, whenever a player – even a good one – comes back from a long injury layoff, there is bound to be some rust and some rough edges. The player we might expect is not the player who shows up in that very first match. Krejcikova might win, but Jacquemot should keep it close.
That being said, betting on Jacquemot +3.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Jacquemot +3.5 games @1.83 @10bet
Bondar – Zheng: Time 5:00 EST
H2H: 0-2
Anna Bondar had a very good Madrid tournament. She beat Elina Svitolina and eventually reached the Round of 16 before very narrowly losing to Mirra Andreeva, the eventual tournament runner-up, in a third-set tiebreaker. Qinwen Zheng played a tough match against WTA World No. 2 Elena Rybakina in the third round of Madrid but lost in three sets. Both players faced strong competition in Spain and will now play each other in Italy.
Best Bet to Make
This is not an easy match to call because of Bondar’s recent good form. However, what happens in Madrid sometimes does not carry over to Rome, which has very different playing conditions. Qinwen Zheng is comfortable on clay and gave Elena Rybakina a real battle in Madrid. Zheng could win this match in straight sets, but it seems that a safer bet is to go for a moderate game spread.
That being said, betting on Zheng -3.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Zheng -3.5 games @1.85 @bwin
Marcinko – Oliynykova: Time 5:30 EST
H2H: 1-0
Petra Marcinko and Oleksandra Oliynykova are ranked right next to each other on the WTA Tour, at 68 and 69. Yet, Marcinko is priced by the markets as a clear favorite. Why might this be the case? A reasonable explanation is that Marcinko had a better Madrid tournament, winning one match and then losing to a very good player, Belinda Bencic. Oliynykova lost in the first round to unheralded Simona Waltert. That, plus the fact that Marcinko is 5-2 in her last seven matches while Oliynykova is 3-4, has Marcinko priced as a solid though not overwhelming favorite.
Best Bet to Make
When players make the transition from Madrid to Rome, do they maintain momentum? Another good question is if they should be trusted by bettors to maintain that momentum and confidence. Is Petra Marcinko good enough to deserve that level of trust? We don’t think so. Oliynykova hasn’t been playing great, but she has lost to in-form players Anna Bondar and Anhelina Kalinina over the past few weeks. She is being devalued here, which means you can get a great moneyline price for her.
That being said, betting on Oliynykova winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Oliynykova winning @2.26 @pinnacle
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
