Today, we bring you our top tennis picks and best bets from the R3 matches of the Italian Open in Rome, IT. Former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka continues her thrilling run in the Italian capital and is all set to take on Diana Shnaider in R3 at the BNP Paribas Arena on Sunday.
Current World No. 2 Elena Rybakina will also play her R3 match against Filipino sensation Alexandra Eala at the same venue later in the day. Besides these two matches, we will cover lucrative and bold picks from three other R3 matches, including two men’s singles and one women’s singles contest.
Tennis Picks and Best Bets of the Day
Elina Svitolina vs. Hailey Baptiste: Svitolina in Three Sets
Elina Svitolina and Hailey Baptiste will face each other for the third time on tour, with their head-to-head split 1-1. It will be their second meeting on clay, with the previous also coming in Rome last year, where the Ukrainian triumphed in three sets.
While the American is coming off a thrilling run at the Madrid Open, where she defeated World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the QFs, we don’t expect her to carry that momentum into today’s match. Despite Baptiste’s ability to force the match into a decider, the two-time champion in Rome should prevail and advance to the QFs.
Learner Tien vs. Alexander Bublik: Bublik in Three Sets
Alexander Bublik and Learner Tien will square off for the first time on tour. Bublik has suffered back-to-back first-round exits in Munich and Madrid since last reaching the QFs in Monte Carlo, bringing his overall clay record to 3-3 this season. Tien has also posted disappointing results in recent clay tournaments, going 2-2.
It will be a match between two players desperate to make a deep run at a clay-court tournament before Roland Garros comes calling. Today, we lean toward the Kazakh to win the tie, simply because of his impressive court coverage on clay and decent ball-striking in crucial rallies.
Naomi Osaka vs. Diana Shnaider: Osaka in Three Sets
Osaka and Shnaider will face each other for the first time on tour, and we expect the four-time Grand Slam champion to continue her strong run in Rome. Shnaider is 5-3 on clay this season, with her best result at the Charleston Open, where she reached the QFs. Osaka is 3-1 on clay and previously reached the R16 in Madrid.
While we expect the 22-year-old Russian to make life difficult for the Japanese star today, it shouldn’t reach the point where she beats her. Therefore, we are leaning toward the former World No. 1 to win today and advance to the round of 16 at the Italian Open.
Lorenzo Musetti vs. Francisco Cerundolo: Cerundolo in Three Sets
Here we are with our boldest pick of the day. Lorenzo Musetti and Francisco Cerundolo will face each other for the fifth time on tour, with their head-to-head split evenly at 2-2. The Italian leads 2-1 on clay, while the Argentine has won their previous two meetings.
We expect a fiery clash between the duo today, but we predict Cerundolo to upset the home fans in this one. The Argentine is 13-5 on clay this season and has produced consistent results in previous tournaments, so he should dispatch Musetti in three sets today.
Alexandra Eala vs. Elena Rybakina: Rybakina in Two Sets
This match appears to be straightforward, as the reigning Australian Open champion is expected to defeat 20-year-old Filipina Alexandra Eala easily. This will be their first encounter on the WTA circuit.
Rybakina boasts an impressive 7-1 record this season, including a title in Stuttgart, while Eala has a 4-3 record on clay and has struggled to maintain consistency. Rybakina is likely to start strongly, dominate the match, and move on to the round of 16 in Rome.
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