Iga Swiatek vs Aryna Sabalenka Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Rome

Prediction published on 13/05/2022, 11:30  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 13/05/2022 at 17:43 in Tennis Predictions

Iga Swiatek extended her unbeaten run to 26 matches when beating Bianca Andreescu on Friday. The Rome Masters semi-final sees top seeded Swiatek take on Aryana Sabalenka who is seeded third. Swiatek is the defending champion and is bidding this weekend to make it five tournament victories in a row. This is a repeat of the recent Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in which Swiatek beat Sabalenka for the loss of just four games. Swiatek had a tight first set against Andreescu on Friday, winning it on a tie-break. Then she rattled through the second set without losing a game. Swiatek has won two of her three previous meetings with Sabalenka and both her wins came this year, the other in Doha.

At the start of this year, Aryna Sabalenka was ranked second in the world behind the now retired Ashleigh Barty. Her form hasn't been too consistent and the Belarusan began this tournament down in eighth place. The live rankings have her up to seventh and 11th in the WTA Race. It wasn't until her fifth tournament of the year that Sabalenka reached a quarter final. While Swiatek was busy winning in Indian Wells and Miami, Sabalenka lost in the last 64 of both those events. Her clay court season has produced the loss to Swiatek in the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Now she bids to get to another final after beating Zhang Shuai, 13th seeded Jessica Pegula and then unseeded Amanda Anisimova. The latter saw her have to come from behind to get the win. Sabalenka doesn't look in the form that can finally hand Swiatek a loss. Back the world numbe one to beat the third seed and reach a second successive Rome Masters final.