We've got three picks from the second round of the WTA Italian Open in Rome today, and there's at least one result here that should raise some eyebrows. Let's get into it.
WTA Italian Open Predictions
Jelena Ostapenko vs Amanda Anisimova
Head-to-head: Ostapenko 1-1 Anisimova
Anisimova has been one of the best players on tour this year and the ranking gap between these two says it all, but Ostapenko on clay is always a different animal. When she's hitting clean and taking big cuts at the ball, the slow surface actually slows her opponents down enough that her flat ball becomes genuinely hard to handle and she's capable of beating anyone on a given day.
That said, this is still a mild surprise pick. Anisimova has looked sharp lately and is the better player right now by most measures. But Ostapenko's all-or-nothing game creates problems that are hard to prepare for, and the 1-1 head-to-head means neither player has figured the other out yet. I think this one goes the distance.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3
Aryna Sabalenka vs Barbora Krejcikova
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 6-1 Krejcikova
Six wins from seven meetings tells you everything. Krejcikova is a former Roland Garros champion and no pushover on clay, which makes Sabalenka's dominance in this head-to-head even more striking. The only win Krejcikova has managed came back in 2021, and the matches since then have gone pretty one-sidedly.
Hard to see this being competitive at all. The only real question is whether Krejcikova can stretch it to three sets, and given the clay in Rome tends to reward consistency in long rallies, there's a chance she hangs around long enough to take a set.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
Liudmila Samsonova vs Ann Li
Head-to-head: Samsonova 1-1 Li
This is the trickiest call of the three. Samsonova is the higher-ranked player and has the bigger game, but the head-to-head is level and Li has been quietly putting together some solid results on clay this season. Samsonova can be inconsistent, and when her serve isn't working the way it should, her ground game doesn't always pick up the slack.
Li in three feels right here. She's the kind of player who makes you work for every point and on a slow Roman clay court, that rewards patience, that approach tends to wear opponents down over the course of a long match.
Prediction: Li in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Stephane Thomas/ZUMA Press Wire