The WTA Rome tournament continues on Wednesday. The first-round main draw began on Tuesday. Wednesday will fill out the rest of the Round of 96 before the top seeds begin their tournament on Thursday and Friday in the Round of 64. Players in the back end of the top 100 and in the lower 100s will try to make crucial gains in rankings points with the French Open not that far away. The qualifying rounds are over; it’s an exciting time for tennis fans as the main draw begins to create some very interesting stories. LWOS has our best bets for three matches. Post your best bets and thoughts in the comments.
WTA Rome
Starodubtseva – Waltert: Time 6:30 EST
H2H: 0-0
Yulia Starodubtseva enters Rome having performed fairly well in her last two clay tournaments. She even made the final at WTA Charleston only to lose to Jessica Pegula in straight sets. She also had solid runs in Miami, Madrid, and the Australian Open. Simona Waltert has been struggling to make deep runs in 2026. She’s only managed to win three games in a tournament twice this year. Given her World ranking, she should be pushing deeper than she is in ITF events, too.
Best Bet to Make
Starodubtseva is the favorite on the books for a pretty solid reason. She’s just having a better year and playing with more confidence than her opponent. There’s no head-to-head here to look upon for any insight. Even without that, it’s pretty clear which one of these players has their head in the game right now. If nothing else, you can always take Starodubtseva straight up if you don’t want to mess with other options. The return is fine enough.
That being said, betting on Starodubtseva winning is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Starodubtseva winning @1.76 @Betfair
Galfi – Potapova: Time 6:30 EST
H2H: 0-2
Dalma Galfi and Anastasia Potapova have met twice before, but their last meeting was in 2023. Both of their prior matches went all three sets, but only one of them was truly competitive. Potapova is having a stellar clay season so far. She made the semifinals in Madrid and the final in Linz. Both of those losses were competitive. Galfi is 13-13 on the year and has only done really well in lower-level tournaments. She’s having a better year on clay than on hardcourt, but neither record screams at you.
Best Bet to Make
Potapova is going to win this game; it’s just a matter of how much. While their last two matches were competitive, they were also long enough ago that I think Potapova has improved greatly since then. I think taking Potapova to win the match 2:0 is the smart move here. The odds are solid enough that you should pick that over other options. The books do think it will be close, but they all have Potapova walking away with the victory.
That being said, betting on Potapova winning 2:0 is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Potapova winning 2:0 @2.0 @WilliamHill
Boulter – Lys: Time 6:30 EST
H2H: 0-1
Katie Boulter and Eva Lys met in Tokyo in 2025 for their only match before Rome. Lys easily won the match in straight sets, losing only three games in the entire process. That tournament took place on a hardcourt; this one will be on clay. As it stands, Lys has more experience on clay than on any other surface. She’s 85-67 on clay, whereas Boulter is 23-19 on the same. Boulter is definitely having the better year, and she has a title to prove it. Boulter took her first 2026 title at WTA Ostrava 2, where she beat Tamara Korpatch in three sets.
Best Bet to Make
Boulter is a solid favorite for this match on the books. The difference between the two of them is about .6-points on average. At least Boulter is 5-5 in her last ten matches because Lys is a dismal 2-8 in hers. Going with the under on total games played is the right strategy here. Whether it’s Boulter or Lys, this match is going to be over fairly quickly. It’s entirely possible that either lady could win, which is why I like using that to our advantage.
That being said, betting on Under 20.5 games is a value bet for sure.
Value bet/ the best odds: Under 20.5 games @2.0 @Betway
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
