By Tony Fairbairn
- Jasmine Paolini [6] v Jelena Ostapenko [17]
- Casper Ruud [6] v Matteo Berrettini [29]
- Mirra Andreeva [7] v Clara Tauson [22]
ROME, ITALY – Jasmine Paolini will continue her bid for a trophy on home soil when she takes on Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round of Rome.
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Jasmine Paolini [6] v Jelena Ostapenko [17] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jasmine Paolini [6] v Jelena Ostapenko [17] | H2H: Ostapenko leads 2-1 |
| Rome 2025 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €66,110 |
| Second on Campo Centrale (Not before 11:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
It hasn’t been the best season for Jasmine Paolini but it’s hard to blame the Italian for that after the expectations she set last year. After two Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, it was always going to be hard to back that form up the following year. However, in tournaments in Miami and Stuttgart Paolini has showed signs that she is ready to mount an improvement in form as she bids for more Grand Slam success in Paris and London. The question is does Paolini have the belief and confidence to win a tournament on home soil?
That will be put to the test against the in-form Jelena Ostapenko. The former Roland Garros finalist has been criticized for not always rising to the occasion but the Latvian has had a much improved season this year. That was highlighted by Ostapenko’s recent run to the title in Stuttgart where she beat both Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka on her way to glory. However, the world number 18 still struggles for consistency and will look to bounce back from her early exit in Madrid as she bids for another WTA quarter-final.
Paolini will need to be aggressive on the backhand side, rushing the Latvian’s baseline game. Meanwhile Ostapenko will dictate play on the forehand side as she will look to hit consistent winners especially when Paolini obtains deep positioning from the baseline. This will be a fiercely contested match with both players looking to gain last minute momentum ahead of Roland Garros. However, Ostapenko may have too much consistent power for a slightly inconsistent Paolini.
Prediction: Ostapenko in three sets.
Casper Ruud [6] v Matteo Berrettini [29] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Casper Ruud [6] v Matteo Berrettini [29] | H2H: Ruud leads 4-3 |
| Rome 2025 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €52,925 |
| Fourth on Campo Centrale (Not before 18:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Only just after losing his top ten ranking, Casper Ruud immediately regained it back after claiming his first Masters 1000 title in Madrid. Tennis is a strange sport where somebody’s confidence can change within a week and that certainly is the case for Ruud as he chases more clay court success. Having been a two-time former finalist at Roland Garros Ruud will be optimistic that he can achieve more success in Paris this year as he aims to maintain his momentum over the next few weeks.
The next challenge for Ruud will be to take on powerful Italian Matteo Berrettini. After suffering an abdominal injury in Madrid, there were doubts over his participation in Rome. However Berrettini is here and produced a gutsy performance to defeat a valiant performance from Jacob Fearnley. For most Italians this is a special tournament but for Berrettini it’s precious as he grew up 30 minutes from the venue. Now Berrettini will aim to cap off a special tournament by producing a deep run at his home tournament.
Ruud will aim to be aggressive on serve, using the forehand to neutralise Berrettini’s returning. Meanwhile Berrettini will use the forehand to put Ruud on the backfoot as he will look to finish the points efficiently at the net. This will be a close match decided by very small margins with a motivated Berrettini raising his level to earn one of the best wins of his season.
Prediction: Berrettini in three sets.
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Mirra Andreeva [7] v Clara Tauson [22] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Mirra Andreeva [7] v Clara Tauson [22] | H2H: Andreeva leads 2-0 |
| Rome 2025 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €66,110 |
| Fourth on Pietrangeli (14:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Another comfortable victory for Mirra Andreeva as the 18 year-old continues to impressive and solidify her place at the top of the women’s game. It has been a crazy last couple of months for Andreeva with the world number seven winning two WTA 1000 titles as Andreeva has displayed clever and powerful tennis. Now Andreeva will hope her momentum can continue with her bid for a first Grand Slam title continuing at Roland Garros later this month.
Next up for Andreeva is another young prospect in the form of Clara Tauson. The Dane had a really good start to the season where she won the Auckland title as well as reaching the final in Dubai where she lost to Andreeva. Since then Tauson’s form has tailed off as she still needs to learn how to be consistent on the tour. Now Tauson will hope a win over Emma Navarro will inspire an improvement in form ahead of a big opportunity at Roland Garros.
Andreeva will aim to serve aggressively, using the angles to force errors from Tauson’s game. Meanwhile Tauson will use the backhand to be aggressive as she looks to take time away from Andreeva. This will be a good test for Andreeva but one she is expected to pass comfortably.
Prediction: Andreeva in straight sets.
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