Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Rome match.
Zheng Qinwen may hold a place in the world’s top 10, but her current form tells a different story. The Chinese star has yet to hit her stride this season, while Olga Danilović comes into Rome with strong clay-court momentum — having already lifted a trophy in Antalya and reached the final in Rouen. In this form, the Serbian could well pose a serious challenge to the higher-ranked Zheng and pick up valuable points on Italian soil.
Olga Danilović
Danilović has been one of the standout performers on slow surfaces in 2025. She holds an impressive 11–2 win-loss record on clay this year, translating to an 85% success rate. In every one of those matches — barring her clash with Ekaterina Alexandrova — Danilović has managed to win at least 10 games, underlining her consistency. In Rome’s opening round, she battled past Katerina Siniakova in three sets (3:6, 6:4, 6:4), winning 74% of points on her first serve — a key stat on this surface.
Zheng Qinwen
By contrast, the Olympic champion and current world No. 8 is going through a rough patch. Zheng hasn’t made it past the quarter-finals at any event in 2025, and her clay-court rhythm appears off. Across her last four matches on clay, she’s conceded an average of 12 games to her opponents — a clear indicator of vulnerability in longer rallies and less control on this surface. Her only appearance on clay this year ended in a straight-sets loss to Anastasia Potapova (4:6, 4:6), suggesting she’s lacking both sharpness and match time.
Olga Danilović vs Zheng Qinwen Prediction
Qinwen is currently experiencing a dip in form, while Danilović consistently demonstrates a strong competitive spirit, particularly on clay courts. While Zheng did secure a victory against Olga last year, that win occurred on a hard court at the end of 2023. On clay, Danilović is expected to put up a strong fight.
