With Roland Garros now looming large on the horizon, the attention of the tennis world turns to the Italian capital for the WTA Rome Open. There should be plenty of entertaining action in the Eternal City on day one, with 12 first-round matches on the slate. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Coco Gauff vs Yulia Putintseva and Maria Sakkari vs Polona Hercog. But who will reach the round of 32?
WTA Rome Open Day 1 Predictions
Anastasija Sevastova vs Jil Teichmann
Head-to-head: Teichmann 1-0 Sevastova
This should be an entertaining match. Jil Teichmann remains somewhat inconsistent, but the Swiss is a dangerous player when she is on song, with her forehand a particularly effective weapon. She will likely be disappointed by her showing in Madrid, where she lost in the second round to Paula Badosa Gibert after upsetting Elina Svitolina in her opener, but she has been handed what looks like a kinder draw at the WTA Rome Open.
Anastasija Sevastova should not be underestimated – after all she ran Teichmann very close in their only previous meeting – but the Latvian is not the force she once was. She did impress in reaching the third round in Madrid as a qualifier, but clay is not typically her best surface. That should favour Teichmann, whose powerful game serves her well on the terre battue. Expect the Swiss to prove just about too strong for Sevastova for the second time this season.
Prediction: Teichmann in 3
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Magda Linette vs Petra Kvitova
Head-to-head: Kvitova 2-0 Linette
It is hard to know quite what to expect of Petra Kvitova. There is no doubting the Czech’s talent, but consistency has been a real issue for the former-Wimbledon champion of late. That being said, Kvitova has made a solid enough start to the European clay-court season, making back-to-back quarterfinals in Stuttgart and Madrid, where she took world #1 Ashleigh Barty the distance. She has also won both of her previous meetings with Magda Linette.
The Pole does not arrive at the WTA Rome Open in good form, having lost her last four matches. In fact, her only win so far this season came against 16-year-old wild card Robin Montgomery in the first round at the WTA Miami Open. With the slow, heavy conditions in Rome likely to suit Kvitova’s powerful game, it is hard to see Linette picking up a second win here. This should be a relatively comfortable outing for the 11th seed.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
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Daria Kasatkina vs Jessica Pegula
Head-to-head: first meeting
After a superb start to the season, which included a run to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the semifinals in Doha, Jessica Pegula’s form has reverted to the mean in recent weeks. The American did play some good tennis in Miami, but came up short in the third round against Maria Sakkari before suffering a 1-6 2-6 defeat at the hands of eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka at the same stage at the WTA Madrid Open.
Daria Kasatkina, meanwhile, has been struggling with the same inconsistencies that have plagued her over the past two years. She did win the title in Moscow in March, but has lost in the second round at both of the events she has played since. Somewhat surprisingly, this will be this pair’s first meeting and it looks to be fairly evenly matched on paper. But Pegula has been the player performing at the higher level in 2021, particularly against players who cannot hit her off the court.
Prediction: Pegula in 3
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Sara Sorribes Tormo vs Camila Giorgi
Head-to-head: Giorgi 1-0 Sorribes Tormo
After an excellent week at the WTA Miami Open where she reached the quarterfinals, Sara Sorribes Tormo will surely be disappointed by her efforts on her favoured clay. In Bogota, she lost in the first round to Sara Errani in straight-sets, a defeat she followed up with a more understandable 0-6 5-7 loss at the hands of world #3 Simona Halep in the first round in Madrid. She will be under some pressure to put in a performance in Rome as a result.
But she has been handed a potentially tricky first-round draw. Camila Giorgi is not the most consistent player, but she can take the racquet out of opponent’s hands with her powerful ball-striking and will have plenty of motivation playing on home turf. The Italian also typically saves her best tennis for the big occasion and will doubtless enjoy the chance to play on Campo Centrale. Sorribes Tormo is a good enough player to keep this close, but expect Giorgi to edge out the Spaniard.
Prediction: Giorgi in 3
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