Day 4 at the WTA 1000 in Rome will feature the debut of many of the seeds, including some Top 10 players and former Grand Slam champions. It’s the first edition of this tournament played over two weeks, which gives a different dynamic than usual to the second round, with unseeded players having the confidence of a match win under their belt as they try to upset the seeds.
WTA Rome Day 4 Predictions
Maria Sakkari vs Barbora Strycova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Sakkari has only been beaten by Sabalenka in the last two WTA 1000 tournaments, both in the semifinals, and she’ll be looking to go even deeper this time around. Strycova is obviously a much tougher opponent than what her ranking would suggest, but at this point in her comeback she shouldn’t be able to pose much of a challenge to an in form top 10 player.
Prediction: Sakkari in 2
Donna Vekic vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head-to-head: Vekic 3-0 Sasnovich
Vekic has been having an excellent 2023, but her best results have all come on hard courts and she’s been struggling so far in the clay season. She’s still favored to win here, but Sasnovich’s chances of an upset are much higher than they would be on another surface and it could well be a very tight match.
Prediction: Vekic in 3
Camila Giorgi vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-head: Giorgi 2-1 Alexandrova
This should be a very tight match, as were their previous matchups. Giorgi has won a title in Merida this year already, but aside from that week she has struggled to win consecutive matches. Alexandrova seems to be the slightly more solid player in general and she played very well in Madrid, putting up an excellent effort against Iga Swiatek even if she ended up losing. She has the slight edge here on paper.
Prediction: Alexandrova in 3
Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini
Head-to-head: first meeting
The Wimbledon champion is having an excellent year so far: she reached the final in Australia (beating Iga Swiatek on the way), she won Indian Wells (beating Sabalenka, who had beaten her in Australia, in the final), and reached the final in Miami. On clay, however, it’s been a different story and she’s been struggling so far. Even then, she should be able to at least win this first match in relatively comfortable fashion.Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
