The WTA Rome tournament moves into the second round on Thursday. The first round whittled down the field from 96 to 64. Now we begin to see the seeded players take the court after getting a first-round bye. When this situation exists, the main question facing tennis bettors is whether the first-round winners will benefit from rhythm and momentum, or if the players getting byes will benefit from added rest and recovery. First-round players got to play on the Rome courts, feeling the conditions, while players with byes might be a little tentative. Will those small advantages outweigh the fact that seeded players are higher ranked? It’s going to be a fascinating second round in Rome. LWOS has our best bets for three matches. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.
WTA Rome
Bouzkova – Townsend: Time 11:45 EST
H2H: 2-1
Marie Bouzkova and Taylor Townsend have a small rivalry going, with the last installment taking place at this year’s WTA Indian Wells tournament. Townsend won that first-round match, with Bouzkova taking the other two matches. Bouzkova got absolutely all she could handle from Townsend in a 2024 two-set war featuring tiebreakers in both sets, and this was after a three-round slugfest they had in 2016. If you look at the trends, it clearly shows that Townsend has been able to figure out Bouzkova more and more over time, and she handed her a convincing defeat in their last match.
Best Bet to Make
Bouzkova is going to enter this match as the favorite, but it’s a pretty close favorite on the books. I think the smart money will come in on Townsend. Not only is Bouzkova fairly mediocre on clay, but Townsend has figured out something in her game. Because you can double your bet by taking Townsend straight, I see no reason to concern yourself with other types of bets. If Townsend truly has figured her out, then this should be a fairly quick match.
That being said, betting on Townsend winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Townsend winning @2.1 @Bet365
Kessler – Jovic: Time 12:00 EST
H2H: 0-0
It will be a battle of two Americans in Rome. Somewhat surprisingly, McCartney Kessler and Iva Jovic have never played before. Kessler enters the match as a .500 clay player. Jovic enters the match with a 21-8 record on clay. Jovic is having one heck of a year so far, with a final, two semifinals, and a quarterfinal appearance to her name. Kessler has three quarterfinal appearances. Jovic is definitely the hotter player entering this match, and she’s also better on clay.
Best Bet to Make
The books have Jovic as a runaway favorite in this match. Most sites have Jovic as a 3-1 favorite, and I think that’s a pretty fair assessment of the match. Both ladies have four clay wins on the year, but Jovic is pushing deeper in tournaments than Kessler. Kessler has also been sliding in the rankings while Jovic is rising. It will probably be a pretty easy match for Jovic, and I like her taking it in straight sets.
That being said, betting on Jovic winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Jovic winning 2:0 @1.91 @WilliamHill
Sabalenka – Krejcikova: Time 5:30 EST
H2H: 0-0
Aryna Sabalenka is having an absolutely dominant year in 2026. She’s 26-2 so far, and she has three titles and four finals out of five tournaments played. It also takes a Herculean effort to beat Sabalenka, with both losses coming in three-set wars, and one where she lost a tiebreak in the third set. Barbora Krejcikova hasn’t even made it out of the second round of a tournament this year.
Best Bet to Make
To say that Sabalenka is a favorite would be the understatement of the day. Most books have her as a 12-1 favorite, if not more. Krejcikova has only ever beaten Sabalenka once in her career, a 2023 quarterfinal match in Dubai. Krejcikova is definitely a good player on clay, but she has already been blasted by Sabalenka on it once before, and she’s 1-6 against her all-time. It’s not a question of if Sabalenka wins, but by how much she beats her.
That being said, betting on Sabalenka -7 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Sabalenka -7 games @2.10 @1xBet
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
