WTA Rome: Preview & Predictions

WTA Rome: Can Serena make it a hat trick?

The 2015 Internazionali BNL d’Italia gets underway this week on the historic red clay courts of the Foro Italico, Rome. The Italian Open, as many people have longed referred to the event for obvious practical reasons, is one of the longest standing events for both men and women, having first been held in 1930! Since 1935, the Foro Italico has been the scene of many gladiatorial combats, watched on by both the fanatical crowds and the marble statues which grace the perimeter of the former stadium court. The slower courts, combined with the potential interference from partisan crowds, will prove to be a rather different test for the players compared to those encountered last week in Madrid.

As the 2nd Premier 5 level event of the year, the draw is understandably filled with the top players, who are all looking to apply the finishing touches to their clay court games ahead of the French Open. The only top 10 players missing this week are number 9, Agnieszska Radwanska and number 10, Andrea Petkovic. Radwanska will actually fall out of the top 10 as of tomorrow’s rankings, but pulled out of Rome due to a right hand injury, whilst Andrea Petkovic is no doubt still suffering with the gastrointestinal illness which forced her out of Madrid.

Here is a preview of the draw and my predictions as to who will reach the semi finals.

(Seed)

Top Half: (11) Karolina Pliskova vs Victoria Azarenka

(1) Serena Williams is looking to win this event for a 3rd straight year, but will be hard pressed to do so. Coming in off of her 1st loss of the season to Petra Kvitova in Madrid, Serena will be forced to hit the ground running, as she could well face Samantha Stosur in the 2nd round. For me, (11) Karolina Pliskova could well come through this section of the draw, as she’s on the verge of the top 10 and shouldn’t have a problem beating (7) Ana Ivanovic, should the two meet in the 3rd round. If Serena and Karolina play in the quarters, I wouldn’t rule out a Czech success, as Pliskova’s game is practically a right handed version of Petra Kvitova’s!

(3) Maria Sharapova, a former 2 time champion here, will be keen to bounce back from her flat, losing effort in the semis of Madrid. However, her draw is full of tough cookies, particularly Caroline Garcia, who could have so easily beaten her in Madrid last week. The most dangerous unseeded player in this section is Victoria Azarenka, who memorably missed 3 match points against Serena last week. (5) Caroline Wozniacki will no doubt feel aggrieved to know that she will most likely face the Belarusian in the 2nd round, considering she’s already lost twice this year to Victoria! From there, Azarenka could well face in form (9) Angelique Kerber, though I’d still bet on Victoria to pull through and take advantage of an early Sharapova exit.

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Bottom Half: (10) Carla Suarez Navarro vs (12) Lucie Safarova

(4) Petra Kvitova will come into Rome feeling as confident as ever in light of her title winning run in Madrid. She’s in a section where 2 names stand out; hers and (10) Carla Suarez Navarro. I’d be surprised if the 2 didn’t meet in the quarters, as I doubt (6) Eugenie Bouchard will even win a match! If the two were to meet, based on Carla’s couple of wins earlier this year and the surface, I’d give the edge to the Spaniard.

(2) Simona Halep was the only top 5 player to fall flat on her face in Madrid last week. The 1st round loss to Cornet was stunning and she’ll be more keen than most to have some kind of result here. Her draw is very tough though, as she could well face either (14) Venus Williams or her nemesis, Garbine Muguruza in the 3rd round! Awaiting the winner of that showdown in the quarters, will most likely be (12) Lucie Safarova. I can’t see Svetlana Kuznetsova recovering quickly enough from her final run in Madrid last week to make a similar impact here, though if she does, she’ll no doubt account for (8) Ekaterina Makarova in the 2nd round. I feel sorry for Ekaterina! What are the odds that she’d draw Kuznetsova again, having only won 3 games from her in the 1st round of Madrid last week?! Safarova missed 2 match points against Svetlana last week and won’t make the same mistake this time should the two meet again. I favour her to come through this section, as Halep seems a little tactically lost on the clay at this point in time.

Next: WTA Madrid: Final Prediction

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