WTA Rome begins on Monday with a host of round 1 matches including Greek #1 Maria Sakkari vs Polona Hercog and Shelby Rogers vs Petra Martic. We have predictions for all the WTA Rome matches including Petra Kvitova’s match.
Petra Martic vs Shelby Rogers
Shelby Rogers beat Martic at the start of the year, the American is 14-8 on the season including a quarterfinal in Charleston on clay. Martic is just 4-8 on the season, she’s had some historic success on clay, but Rogers should have the upper hand in this matchup. Rogers in 2
Jennifer Brady vs Shuai Zhang
The Australian Open finalist Brady is 2-0 against Zhang, and did win a pair of matches in Madrid after struggling after that slam final. Zhang has not won a match this season and it’s been difficult times for the former top 25 player. Brady is in a great position to reach the next round. Brady in 2
Marta Kostyuk vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Kostyuk has two semifinals this season (Abu Dhabi and Istanbul), Alexandrova reached the quarters in Stuttgart, and also in St. Petersburg and had a semifinal in Australia at the start of the year. This looks like an even matchup, Kostyuk is ranked much lower but is at a career high and rising quickly. This match feels like an upset though I expect it to be close. Kostyuk in 3
Maria Sakkari vs Polona Hercog
Hercog beat Sakkari in Istanbul on clay in 2018, she’s just 1-6 at the WTA level in 2021 though, and lost in the opening round in Madrid after qualifying. Sakkari, at a career high ranking of #19, is a fantastic 15-8 on the season and after reaching the semis in Miami, won a pair of matches in Madrid. Sakkari will be the strong favorite here. Sakkari in 2
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