Iga Swiatek won yet another match at the 2024 Italian Open easily, and up next for her is Madison Keys, whom she just bested at the Madrid Open.
They say history repeats itself, but let's see if it will repeat itself in Rome. Swiatek and Keys played last week at the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid, and the Polish player easily won that match.
She's looking really strong this week as well, with a couple of solid wins, though some of those featured minor problems. Keys continued her good play from Madrid in the Italian capital as well, but now she'll have to face the world no. 1 yet again, and it's not going to be an easy match.
The Madrid Open is actually the better event for her to upset the Pole, which means that, on paper, she should have a tougher time in Rome.
Head-to-head:
Swiatek and Keys played a few times, and obviously, Swiatek was the better player in the previous matches. Two of their four matches were on clay, and the Pole won comfortably in both. The one last week was certainly quite convincing because Swiatek won 6-3, 6-1.
I expect nothing different here because the slower conditions should suit the top seed even more. Obviously, the slower ball might actually help Keys get more into the shots, which she wasn't quite able to do last week in Madrid.
| Iga Swiatek | Madison Keys | |
| 3 | H2H | 1 |
| 1 | Rank | 16 |
| 22 | Age | 29 |
| 35-4 | 2024 W/L | 10-4 |
| 316-70 | Career W/L | 370-211 |
Prediction:
Swiatek is the far better player on clay and a two-time former event champion. Keys is a good player who can be incredibly tough to beat, but on clay, I just don't see her troubling Swiatek too much.
The Polish player is just too good and is playing really well right now. The consistency she brings to every rally is something Keys is simply incapable of doing.
Prediction: Iga Swiatek to win in two sets.
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