By Tony Fairbairn
- Iga Swiatek is looking to win her third consecutive Rome title as she continues to establish her dominance on the clay ahead of Roland Garros.
- Top Seeds: Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Ons Jabeur
ROME, ITALY – Iga Swiatek is looking to continue her dominant clay court swing as she looks to win her third consecutive Rome title.
 |
|---|
[1] Iga Swiatek
Best Result: Champion (2021, 2022)
Swiatek has continued to establish herself as the dominant force on the European clay courts but will be looking to gain some momentum back after losing the Madrid final.
Swiatek’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Bye | H2H: N/A
- R2: Sara Errani [WC] | H2H: First Meeting
- R3: Bernarda Pera [28] | H2H: Swiatek leads 2-0
- R4: Liudmila Samsonova [16] | H2H: Swiatek leads 2-0
- QF: Elena Rybakina [7] | H2H: Rybakina leads 2-1
- SF: Ons Jabeur [4] | H2H: Swiatek leads 4-2
- F: Aryna Sabalenka [2] | H2H: Swiatek leads 5-3
Swiatek’s opening round match could be awkward as the home crowd will be for Sara Errani, who is dangerous on the clay and a former Roland Garros finalist. Alternatively another former Roland Garros finalist in the form of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova could await with her power and athleticism being able to cause any player problems. Other than that, Swiatek should have a relatively comfortable path with the Pole’s skillset proving too much for power plays especially on a slow and heavy clay court that Rome has. A third consecutive final against Aryna Sabalenka could be a crucial match in determining who has the psychological advantage heading into Roland Garros as Swiatek looks for a third consecutive title in the Italian capital.
[2] Aryna Sabalenka
Best Results: Semi-Final (2022)
Sabalenka managed to gain her revenge on Swiatek last week to capture a second Madrid title as she looks continue her clay court momentum in Rome ahead of Roland Garros.
Sabalenka’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Bye | H2H: N/A
- R2: Cristina Bucsa | H2H: First Meeting
- R3: Anhelina Kalinina [30] | H2H: First Meeting
- R4: Victoria Azarenka [14] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 3-1
- QF: Caroline Garcia [5] | H2H: Garcia leads 3-2
- SF: Jessica Pegula [3] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 4-1
- F: Iga Swiatek [1] | H2H: Swiatek leads 5-3
Sabalenka has a fairly comfortable draw but will need to be wary of a potential match against Sofia Kenin in her first match. That could be followed up by a rematch of the Madrid quarter-finals against Egyptian Mayar Sherif. Potential matches against Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Garcia should provide a good test for her rally tolerance and decision making before a potential semi-final against either Jessica Pegula or Coco Gauff. Overall Sabalenka is in a good position to make her best result in Rome of her career but will look to do better against Swiatek in the final than she did last year when the pair met with Sabalenka only winning three games.
 |
|---|
[3] Jessica Pegula
Best Result: Quarter-Final (2021)
Pegula will look continue to build momentum heading into Roland Garros after losing at the quarter-final stage in Madrid.
Pegula’s Path to the Final (Ranking/Seeding)
- R1: Bye | H2H: N/A
- R2: Qualifier | H2H: N/A
- R3: Irina-Camelia Begu [31] | H2H: Tied at 2-2
- R4: Karolina Pliskova [13] | H2H: Pegula leads 4-1
- QF: Coco Gauff [6] | H2H: Pegula leads 1-0
- SF: Aryna Sabalenka [2] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 4-1
- F: Iga Swiatek [1] | H2H: Swiatek leads 5-2
After a comfortable opening two rounds, Pegula will face a tough test in the last 16 against former finalist Karolina Pliskova who has a good record in Rome. The quarter-finals is where the really tough test could lie for the American as either Veronika Kudermetova, Anastasia Potapova or Coco Gauff could await. Pegula lost to Kudermetova in Madrid last week with Potapova having some epic battles with the American already this season. Overall Pegula would be satisfied with a run to the semi-finals which would be a massive confidence booster ahead of one of her weakest Grand Slam events at Roland Garros.
[4] Ons Jabeur
Best Result: Final (2022)
After missing Madrid due to injury, Jabeur will look to build some last minute momentum heading into Roland Garros and reach the final in Rome for a second consecutive year.
Jabeur’s Path to the Final
- R1: Bye | H2H: N/A
- R2: Paula Badosa | H2H: Badosa leads 3-1
- R3: Marta Kostyuk [32] | H2H: Jabeur leads 1-0
- R4: Ekaterina Alexandrova [15] | H2H: Alexandrova leads 6-2
- QF: Daria Kasatkina [8] | H2H: Jabeur leads 5-2
- SF: Iga Swiatek [1] | H2H: Swiatek leads 4-2
- F: Aryna Sabalenka [2] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 3-1
A really tough first two rounds awaits the Tunisian in the form of Paula Badosa and Marta Kostyuk which will test her quality and stamina. Should Jabeur get through those matches then that should give her the confidence to move through the next two rounds which should be fairly comfortable before facing the best player in the world in the semi-finals. This will be a tough week for Jabeur but any match wins will give her confidence heading into Roland Garros.
Rome begins on the 9th of May and concludes on the 20th of May.
How to Watch/Follow Rome 2023
| Live Stream | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |