Flat-hitting Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova is quietly compiling a very respectable campaign, bringing a 17-10 record into this event. She won her maiden WTA 500 on the indoor courts in Linz.
2025 WTA Tour
WTA 1000
Italian Open
Foro Italico, Rome (Outdoor Clay)
Selected Round of 64 Matches- 9th May
Ekaterina Alexandrova (21) 0.7 vs Emma Radacanu 1.13
And she has enjoyed a surprisingly fruitful spell on the clay, reaching back-to-back semifinals in Charleston and Stuttgart prior to a round of 16 run in Madrid. Alexandrova’s game is far better suited to slicker conditions. The Russian hits the ball powerfully off both wings and favours a flatter hitting trajectory. She plays an aggressive brand of first-strike tennis and can become slightly one-dimensional (especially on clay). But she has defied expectations during this clay-court campaign, producing some brilliant tennis from the back of the court. However, she is going to be severely tested by the relative sluggishness of these surfaces.
Emma Radacanu showed plenty of character in her opening clash, holding off a spirted challenge from Aussie teenager Maya Joint to win 7-5, 6-7, 6-3. The win marked her first ever victory in Rome (her only previous appearance came back in 2022, where she was forced to retire in the first round). Radacanu is still coming to terms with the rigours of clay (she has only played one full season on the surface in her career). But she will be pleased with the way she dealt with the slow nighttime conditions. The win improved Radacanu’s 2025 record to 9-8. The 2021 US Open champion has largely underwhelmed this campaign (that whole stalker saga probably didn’t help). But she did show her true quality in Miami, beating the likes of Anisimova and Navarro en route to a maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal finish. Radacanu just needs to find a semblance of consistency in her game. She has recently been collaborating with ad-hoc coach Mark Petchey. I don’t see how that works going forward, as his commentary commitments will interfere with his ability to provide Radacanu fulltime assiatcne.
The Verdict: Radacanu to win in three sets at 4- These two share the head-to-head spoils at one win apiece, with the Russian winning in straight sets at this year’s Aussie Open. I think that the Brit has a decent chance of progressing to the final 32. I think the Russian will struggle with these very slow conditions and could become an unforced error machine. Radacanu just needs to remain patient and keep the ball in play. Still, these two are quite evenly matched and this could go all the way.
