Emma Radacanu faces off against Bianca Andreescu while Sloane Stephens will be looking to spring a surprise against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Ro32 at the Italian Open. Damien Kayat previews.
2022 WTA Tour
WTA Premier 1000
Italian Open
Stadio del tennis di Roma, Rome, Italy (Outdoor Clay)
Selected Round of 32 Matches- 10th May
Emma Radacanu 97/100 | Bianca Andreescu 81/100
This should be a fascinating match between two US Open champions who are both looking to reassert themselves in the game. Teenage sensation Emma Radacanu has struggled in the aftermath of her glorious New York victory.
In fact, she hasn’t reached a semi-final since her US Open victory last year. Her own press seems hellbent on labelling her as a flash-in-the-pan success. With that in mind, few would have given her much hope leading into her maiden clay-court season.
But the Brit has actually surprised many with her maiden foray on clay. She lost to Swiatek in the Stuttgart quarterfinals (no shame in that). She then fell to Kalinina in Madrid, fighting off back spasms in the closing sections of the match.
That could be a source of concern for Radacanu going into this high-profile opening match. But she is 4-2 for the season on clay. Her serve has been operating efficiently and her movement betrays no signs of inexperience on the surface.
2019 US Open champ Bianca Andreescu has spent far less time on court this season. She has been battling injuries and some personal demons over the last few years. She even wrestled with the idea of retirement (how tragic it would have been to have another prominent female player retiring at such a young age).
Andreescu seems to have shaken the worst of her debilitating knee injury. She returned to action in Stuttgart following a six-month hiatus from the sport, narrowly losing to eventual finalist Aryna Sabalenka in three sets.
She then went on an American odyssey in Madrid, defeating Alison Riske and Danielle Collins en route to the final 16. She would go down in three sets to American Jessica Pegula (this was her 2nd consecutive defeat to an eventual tournament finalist).
Andreescu has a penchant for shining in these big events. The former US Open and Indian Wells champ managed to reach last year’s Miami final despite having very little tennis under her belt. I wouldn’t be surprised if the former World No.4 has a solid week.
Verdict: Andreescu to win in straight sets at 7/4
This will be the first career meeting between these two. Radacanu will be feeling quietly confident after an encouraging start to her clay-court career.
But Andreescu is still a far more accomplished player than Radacanu. I think she will be feeling energized following her two victories in Madrid. You also have to factor Radacanu’s back issues into the equation.
Andreescu has the chance to make a statement in this opening match and I think she could overpower the Brit.
Sloane Stephens 21/10 | Ekaterina Alexandrova 7/20
Former World No.3 Sloane Stephens has been one of the more frustrating figures on the tour for some time. The 29-year-old American has been accused of being too nonchalant in her attitude towards training and her results have been radically inconsistent.
The former US Open champ has managed to claw her way back into the top 40 this year. She broke a four-year title drought by winning the Guadalajara Open in February.
Many thought that could provide a launchpad for the American. But she has been disappointing since that Mexican title, winning just one of five matches since. That includes back-to-back defeats in her two clay-court appearances for the year.
That is fairly surprising for such an accomplished clay-courter. Stephens is a former Roland Garros finalist and Charleston Open champ. It will be interesting to see which Sloane Stephens pitches up in Rome this week. This is not going to be an easy opening encounter for Stephens.
27-year-old Ekaterina Alexandrova has been one of the surprise success stories of the clay-court season. She enjoyed a decent 2021, reaching the Kremlin Cup final and helping Russia to victory at the inaugural Billie Jean Cup.
But she started 2022 pretty dismally, failing to reach the quarterfinal stage in her first six events. But she has exploded into action on the clay, reaching the semi-finals in the Charleston Open (she lost to eventual champion Belinda Bencic).
She proved this was no fluke by reaching the semi-finals in Madrid last week (where she once again lost to eventual champ Ons Jabeur). I think it’s fair to say that Ekaterina has found something on the clay this season.
It will be interesting to see how the aggressive Russian will approach this game against the cagey Stephens.
Verdict: Stephens to win at 21/10
This will be this 2nd career meeting. The American overcame the Russian at the 2019 Sydney Invitational. Logic seems to dictate that the in-form Russian is the safe bet here.
But she has spent an outrageous amount of time on court in recent weeks. Could she be due for a bit of a no-show? By the same token, the outrageously inconsistent Stephens must be due a solid clay-court performance soon.
