Rome’s Foro Italico has a way of exposing gaps in form and confidence early, and Wednesday’s action at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia serves up four WTA Rome matches that could do exactly that. From a Brazilian struggling for her best tennis to a clay-court specialist who just rediscovered her game, there are some genuinely interesting storylines to track before the bigger names step in.
WTA Rome Day 2 Predictions
Beatriz Haddad Maia vs Leolia Jeanjean
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Haddad Maia has a 4-12 record in 2026 and has lost her last six matches, a difficult run for a player once ranked inside the Top 10 and who reached the French Open semifinals in 2023. She is 4-5 on clay over the past year at WTA level, and her recent struggles suggest this is a player still searching for form and consistency.
Jeanjean, meanwhile, is ranked just outside the Top 100 and mostly competes at lower-level events, but she showed some fight in recent weeks. Her best WTA moment remains a third-round run at the 2022 French Open as a 227-ranked wildcard, upsetting eighth seed Pliskova along the way. Clay is a surface that suits her game, and Haddad Maia is nowhere near the player who lit up Foro Italico in years past. The Brazilian’s class and firepower could still be enough to get through, but not without a fight.
Prediction: Haddad Maia in 3
Katerina Siniakova vs Lois Boisson
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Siniakova is a player who has built her reputation primarily in doubles–she is a two-time Roland Garros doubles champion and has been a consistent performer on clay across her career. Her singles form in 2026 has been modest and has enough game to manage the surface. Boisson is a young French player who has been working with a well-credentialed coach, and she has shown some potential, but her WTA main draw experience remains limited. Siniakova has the cleaner ball-striking and more developed clay-court tactics, and she should be able to control the match from the baseline without too much trouble.
Prediction: Siniakova in 2
Rebeka Masarova vs Oksana Selekhmeteva
Head-to-Head: Selekhmeteva 1-0 Masarova
Masarova has gone 4-3 on the surface in 2026 heading into Rome, including a win over Jil Teichmann in qualifying. She is a steady, competitive clay-court presence who grinds opponents down rather than blasting winners.
Selekhmeteva has lost her last four matches and holds just a 0-2 WTA record on clay in the past year. Her ITF numbers on the surface are considerably better, but stepping up to WTA level on Rome’s slow clay is a different proposition. Masarova’s ability to push the ball deep and stay disciplined in extended rallies should give her the edge, and Selekhmeteva’s recent skid makes it hard to back her here.
Prediction: Masarova in 2
Caty McNally vs Daria Kasatkina
Head-to-Head: First meeting
McNally had a strong week in Madrid, upsetting Victoria Mboko to reach the fourth round, while Kasatkina arrived in Rome off the back of a WTA 125 title win. Both come in with genuine momentum and that makes this one of the more compelling first-round matches of the day.
On clay specifically, Kasatkina holds a 5-2 edge in her matches on the surface in 2026, and her ability to generate heavy topspin and change pace is ideally suited to slower Roman conditions. McNally is an aggressive baseliners who can cause problems with her serve and forehand, but she finds things tougher when the pace of play is slowed. Kasatkina’s return to form and clay pedigree give her the edge in what should be a close three-setter.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Main Photo Credit: Albert Cesare-USA TODAY Sports
