Today, we’ll share our top tennis picks and the best bets from Day 2 of the Italian Open in Rome, Italy. Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka narrowly defeated Travaglia in the qualifiers’ first round, setting up a match against seasoned Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta on Tuesday for a spot in the main draw of the Masters tournament.
Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu will also be competing as she begins her journey in the WTA 1000 event, facing Sofia Kenin in the first round on the main court during the afternoon session. Along with these two exciting matches, we’ll also present our three additional top picks, including one first-round and two second-round qualifier matches today.
Top Tennis Picks and Best Bets From Day 2 of the Italian Open
Pablo Carreno Busta vs. Stan Wawrinka: Total Games Over 22.5 (-105)
This will be the fifth professional match between Wawrinka and Carreno Busta on their tour. The Swiss veteran holds a 3-1 lead in the ATP head-to-head, with two of those victories on clay. This marks their fourth encounter on clay, and we anticipate a three-set match today.
Wawrinka recently achieved a remarkable come-from-behind victory in Round 1 of the qualifiers. At the same time, Busta easily defeated Martin Damm Jr. in straight sets, highlighting his skills on his preferred surface.
Although the betting odds favor Busta, we recommend betting on the total games exceeding 22, as the match is likely to be decided in three sets.
Barbora Krejcikova vs. Elsa Jacquemot: Set Spread, Krejcikova -1.5 (+120)
This will be the first-ever match on tour between Krejcikova and Jacquemot. While the French player has already competed in three clay tournaments, this marks the 30-year-old Czech’s first appearance on clay this season, and her first professional match since withdrawing from the R3 match at the Dubai Open in February.
Despite limited tour play lately, we favor the 2021 French Open champion to play to her strengths today and defeat her French opponent, advancing to the second round in Rome. Expect Krejcikova to cover the spread, leveraging her extensive experience on this surface.
Sofia Kenin vs. Bianca Andreescu: Set Spread, Andreescu -1.5 (+154)
This will be the seventh tour match between two former Grand Slam champions. Andreescu currently leads their head-to-head 4-2. Their latest encounter on clay was at the Charleston Open, where Kenin won in straight sets.
Despite some recent difficulties, the Canadian has an 11-5 record on clay this season, while her American opponent is 2-2. We favor Andreescu to win today at the Italian Open, avenge her Charleston loss, cover the spread, and move on to the second round after a tough match against Kenin.
Aleksandar Kovacevic vs. Jacob Fearnley: Total Games Over 22.5 (-125)
This will be the first tour meeting between Kovacevic and Fearnley, likely favoring the Brit. However, his American opponent won’t make it easy. Kovacevic has faced tough three-set matches on clay before and is expected to win at least one set today, leading to a total of over 22 games in the match.
Anhelina Kalinina vs. Katie Volynets: Kalinina in Three Sets
Anhelina Kalinina and Katie Volynets will square off on tour for the first time in their professional careers. We expect a competitive clash between the duo, who have produced decent results in recent clay-court tournaments.
Volynets is the slight favorite to win today, but we are leaning toward the Ukrainian, who has shown strong play on clay in Madrid, Linz, and Dubrovnik. Our pick is Kalinina in three sets, advancing to the main draw of the Italian Open today.
*All bets and wagers sourced from BetMGM
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