Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Roland Garros match.
Elena Rybakina arrived at Roland Garros following a title-winning campaign in Strasbourg, but her opening Grand Slam performance was anything but dominant — she came close to an early elimination in her first-round encounter with Julia Riera. In contrast, Iva Jovic is in excellent form: the 17-year-old American has emerged as one of the tour’s most promising prospects and has delivered a series of impressive performances on clay.
Elena Rybakina
On paper, Elena Rybakina remains the clear favourite. She lifted the trophy in Strasbourg and dispatched Iva Jovic in routine fashion on a hard court back in January (6:0, 6:3). However, clay has never been her most comfortable surface. Each of her last three matches has gone the distance, and in four of her previous five outings, the Total Over 21.5 games line was surpassed. At Roland Garros, she narrowly avoided a surprise defeat to World No. 202 Julia Riera, conceding five breaks of serve.
Iva Jovic
Iva Jovic is showing a level of composure and confidence well beyond her age. In 2025, she has notched up eight wins on clay against just two defeats. Her opening-round victory at Roland Garros came in three sets over World No. 74 Renata Zarazua (6:3, 5:7, 6:4), during which she landed 69% of her first serves.
Elena Rybakina vs Iva Jovic Prediction
This is not the same Iva Jovic who claimed just three games against Elena Rybakina earlier this year. The American has made notable strides since that meeting, particularly on clay. Elena Rybakina is unlikely to have things all her own way this time.
