WTA Rome: Iga Swiatek back at the top in Italy?
Disenchantment in Madrid
The Madrid tournament has just come to a close in the Spanish capital, and the least we can say is that Poland's Iga Swiatek did not live up to her ambitions. Indeed, the Polish player had great difficulty in some of her duels, losing the first set of her first round match to the young Alexandra Eala (ranked 72nd in the world).
However, after dominating the first set 6-0 against top 15 Diana Shnaider, she found it difficult to conclude her duel, losing the second set in a tie-break. The defending champion then suffered her first 0-6 defeat since 2021 and her first on clay since 2019 in the quarter-finals against world number 5 Madison Keys. The American needed just 24 minutes to win the first set of their quarter-final.
However, the 23-year-old Polish player managed to take the lead in the other two sets, but was unable to topple American Cori Gauff in the semi-finals and was prevented from defending her title by a 1-6, 1-6 defeat in just 1 hour 06 minutes. This severe defeat should have dented the confidence of the Polish player, who looked as though she had suffered in her last two matches.
Hope in Rome
At the Italian tournament in Rome, she should be looking for another success on this surface, but above all she should be looking for confidence to show her opponents that she is still a force to be reckoned with at major tournaments. With her last match dating back to 1 May, the Polish player should have taken the time to regain her health and forget her setbacks as quickly as possible. And it shouldn't be difficult for her to get back into the swing of things, as she arrives in Rome in a familiar tournament.
The 23-year-old is the defending champion of the Rome tournament, which she won last year in 2 sets against Aryna Sabalenka. But last season's title was nothing new for the Polish player, as she has also inscribed her name on the Italian trophy in 2021 (against Karolina Pliskova) and 2022 (against Ons Jabeur). Two titles won in two consecutive seasons should prove to her and her opponents that she has what it takes to repeat the double by winning the title again this year.
In fact, Iga Swiatek's absence from the clay courts of Madrid should prove to be an advantage, as her opponents are likely to believe that she is less formidable. And it is with a vengeful spirit that she should arrive at her duels to demonstrate that she has regained all her reflexes on the courts, since her ultimate goal is to prepare as well as possible for the next clay-court tournament in the French capital.
The Parisian objective
The Roland Garros Grand Slam is just around the corner (from 25 May to 8 June in our tennis predictions). And the Polish player will be arriving in Paris as the favourite, having won the tournament 4 times, including 3 in a row in 2022, 2023 and 2024. There's no better way than this Italian tournament in Rome to surprise her opponents and win again. What's more, the Polish player needs to get back on track at all costs if she is to pick up points again in her bid for the WTA Race, which she won in 2023 against Jessica Pegula.
As part of her preparations for Roland Garros, Swiatek is aiming to go all the way in Rome.
Her direct opponent is none other than world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who has just won her 3rd WTA 1000 title in Madrid. A big winner against the American Cori Gauff, the Belarusian showed that she is in great form on clay and that she will be formidable in the run-up to Roland Garros, a Grand Slam she has never won.
Our prediction for the WTA Rome winner: Iga Swiatek wins the tournament!
