Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Rome match.
Aryna Sabalenka begins her Rome Masters campaign from the second round, eyeing revenge for last year’s final defeat and determined to finally clinch the coveted title in the Italian capital. Her first test comes against Anastasia Potapova — a player who occasionally troubles the tour’s elite but has rarely delivered consistent results against top-tier opponents.
Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka enters the tournament in blistering clay-court form. She’s won eight of her nine matches on the surface this season, dropping just one set along the way. Most recently, the world No. 1 claimed her third career WTA 1000 title in Madrid, and overall in 2025, she’s already reached six finals — a testament to her dominance and consistency.
Anastasia Potapova
Potapova, meanwhile, had to dig deep in her opening round against Dayana Yastremska, saving match point in the second set before grinding out a win. The Russian struggled on serve throughout — committing 12 double faults and winning just 49% of points behind her first serve. That level simply won’t cut it against Sabalenka. Her record against top-10 opponents also makes grim reading: just one win in her last nine such encounters.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Anastasia Potapova Prediction
Sabalenka is not only the clear favourite in this matchup but also one of the frontrunners for the title. In their previous meeting on clay, in Stuttgart 2023, the Belarusian dismantled Potapova (6:1, 6:2). Expect a similarly straightforward outcome here, as the world No. 1 powers into the third round with minimal fuss.
