Paula Badosa and Mayar Sherif will clash in the WTA Iasi Open final in what promises to be an entertaining conclusion to this week’s tennis in Romania. Both women lifted titles at the 125K level a week ago and both will surely be full of confidence, with this a great opportunity for one of them to add to their trophy cabinet this Sunday. But who will lift the trophy?
WTA Iasi Final Prediction
Paula Badosa vs Mayar Sherif
Head-to-head: Badosa 1-1 Sherif
Paula Badosa came through a dramatic three-set battle against Tamara Zidansek to reach her fifth career final at the Iasi Open. The Spaniard recovered from a set and a break down to win 3-6 7-5 7-6. Zidansek served for the match on two occasions, but Badosa produced some fine returns under pressure to break back. It’s the second time this week that Badosa needed three sets to advance. She avoided a shock defeat to Ibragimova earlier in the tournament. Badosa is now guaranteed a top 100 return and will rise as high as #75 in the world rankings if she wins the WTA Iasi title. She is a four-time champion at the WTA level, winning every final she has contested.
Mayar Sherif, for her part, reached her first Tour-level final since 2024 at WTA Iasi with a convincing win over Oleksandra Oliynykova. The Egyptian #1 reeled off 10 of the last 11 games to complete a dominant 6-3 6-1 victory. Sherif has played near-flawless tennis this week, with straight-set wins over Dalma Galfi and Kaitlin Quevedo.
Her toughest match so far came in the quarterfinal, where she defeated Yulia Putintseva in a third-set tiebreak. Sherif has contested three WTA finals before this. She became the first Egyptian woman to win a Tour-level title at the Parma Ladies Open in 2022. She lost in two other title matches, Cluj-Napoca (2021) and Rabat (2024).
This should be an intriguing battle. Both women have compiled some strong results in this brief post-Wimbledon clay swing. Badosa won the 125K title in Bastad a week ago, while Sherif triumphed in Contrexeville. Sherif has the fresher legs in this final, but Badosa came through two three-set matches without showing any obvious physical issues.
That’s an encouraging sign for a player who has struggled with injury setbacks throughout 2026. That said, Sherif will turn this into an attritional contest, but Badosa’s superior firepower and experience at the highest level should give her a decisive edge -she owns a 4-0 record in Tour-level finals and looks well-placed to extend that at WTA Iasi.
Prediction: Badosa in 3
Main photo credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
