By Tony Fairbairn
- Coco Gauff [4] v Victoria Mboko [Q]
- Carlos Alcaraz [3] v Dusan Lajovic [Q]
- Donna Vekic [20] v Bianca Andreescu
ROME, ITALY – Coco Gauff will aim to continue her clay court success from Madrid into Rome when she takes on Canadian rising star Victoria Mboko in her opening round match.
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Coco Gauff [4] v Victoria Mboko [Q] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Coco Gauff [4] v Victoria Mboko [Q] | H2H: First Meeting |
| Rome 2025 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €21,215 |
| Fourth on Campo Centrale (Not before 18:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Heading into the tournament in Madrid, Coco Gauff was playing some erratic tennis and was struggling for confidence. However the American’s run to the final in Madrid was nothing short of sensational beating some world class opponents as she rediscovered her form by beating her nearest rivals. In particular Gauff’s annihilation of Iga Swiatek sent shockwaves through the tennis world as she showed she is more than capable of contending for Roland Garros this year. However, Gauff now needs to show consistency and that starts by producing a similar result in Rome this week.
First up for Gauff is rising star Victoria Mboko. The Canadian has been on a tear on the ITF circuit over the last year, producing stunning tennis and consistent wins. The prospect of main tour tennis may have overwhelmed some players but not Mboko as she tested Paula Badosa in Miami earlier this year, proving she is more than up to the task of challenging the world’s best. Now the 18 year-old looks to continue her rise up the rankings in what will be the biggest match of her career so far.
Gauff will be aggressive on the forehand side as she looks to rush Mboko’s baseline game and finish off points at the net. Meanwhile Mboko will look to be explosive on the forehand, constructing points intelligently in order to force errors from the American. This should be an interesting contest with a glimpse into a future rivalry on the tour. Gauff should have too much consistent quality but this shouldn’t be regarded as an easy match for the American given Mboko’s impressive explosive power that has proven successful on the tour already.
Prediction: Gauff in straight sets.
Carlos Alcaraz [3] v Dusan Lajovic [Q] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Carlos Alcaraz [3] v Dusan Lajovic [Q] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 4-0 |
| Rome 2025 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €30,895 |
| Second on Campo Centrale (Not before 12:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
It was a phenomenal start to the clay court season for Carlos Alcaraz as he won the title in Monte-Carlo before reaching the final in Barcelona. However, the Spaniard was denied an opportunity to continue his momentum into Madrid as he was forced to withdraw due to injury. Now the Spaniard will aim to regain his confidence in Rome with his Roland Garros title defence edging nearer and the Spaniard looking to prove that he is the man to beat on the red dirt.
First up for Alcaraz is former Monte-Carlo finalist Dusan Lajovic who qualified for the event in Rome. The Serb has produced some stunning results on clay in the past but has now fell down the rankings rather rapidly as he currently sits at 131 in the world. A tough spell for Lajovic who is aiming to regain his confidence rather quickly before he faces the reality of playing on the Challenger tour on a regular basis.
Alcaraz will look to be aggressive on serve, using the forehand to dictate the pace of the rallies. Meanwhile Lajovic will use the backhand to create angles and force Alcaraz into different positions in the court and hoping for unforced errors to swiftly follow. This should be a decent first test from injury for Alcaraz with the Spaniard expected to win in straight sets.
Prediction: Alcaraz in straight sets.
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Donna Vekic [20] v Bianca Andreescu H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Donna Vekic [20] v Bianca Andreescu | H2H: Vekic leads 1-0 |
| Rome 2025 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €21,215 |
| Fifth on Court One (16:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
After a very mediocre season so far, Donna Vekic produced a much better level in Madrid as the Croatian reached the fourth round. The world number 19 knows she needs to build on that week last week and become more aggressive if she wants to have a chance of defending her Wimbledon semi-final points. As we know, Vekic has a habit of stepping up her game at the Grand Slams and Vekic will look to continue proving that is the case at Roland Garros this month.
Next up for Vekic is former Grand Slam champion Bianca Andreescu who secured her first win of the season in Madrid against McCartney Kessler. However, the Canadian’s defeat to Elena Rybakina was a sign that she has a long way to go in her comeback from injury. Injuries have been the biggest obstacle for Andreescu in her career so far but there is no doubting that the talent and grit is there as the Canadian now aims for a big run on clay, something that has been missing in her career so far.
Vekic will serve aggressively and will use the forehand to dictate the play. Meanwhile Andreescu will use the slice to mix up the pace of the rallies with the Canadian using the dropshot to test Vekic’s speed around the court. This will be a good test for Vekic but the Croatian should have too much consistent quality for the undercooked Andreescu.
Prediction: Vekic in three sets.
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