Italian Open 2023 Day 5: Men's and Women's Singles Predictions, ft. Andrey Rublev vs Alex Molcan

The fifth day of main draw action at the Italian Open on Saturday (May 13) will feature 16 ATP and 10 WTA second-round matches. Twenty-four seeds, five qualifiers, and a lucky loser will be in action.

On Friday, the likes of Jannik Sinner, Grigor Dimitrov, Iga Swiatek, Paola Badosa, and Cameron Norrie emerged victorious. They beat Thanasi Kokkinakis, Stan Wawrinka, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Ons Jabeur, and Alexandre Muller respectively.

Without further ado, here's a look at how the following five ATP and WTA matches at the Italian Open on Saturday could pan out:

#1 Sofia Kenin vs (30) Anhelina Kalinina

Sofia Kenin takes on 30th seed Anhelina Kalinina for a place in the Italian Open third round.

World No. 134 Kenin dumped out Madrid Open winner Aryna Sabalenka for her second win this week, improving to 11-10 on the season. Meanwhile, the 47th-ranked Kalenina beat Anna Blinkova in her opener to also improve to 11-10 in 2023.

Kenin has won four of her six meetings with Kalinina, so expect the American to take this one.

Pick: Kenin in straight sets

#2 Lorenzo Musetti vs Matteo Arnaldi

Eighteenth seed Lorenzo Musetti opens his campaign at the Italian Open against Italian wildcard Matteo Arnaldi.

The 19th-ranked Musetti is 11-11 on the season, while World No. 99 Arnaldi improved to 4-3 in 2023 by beating Diego Schwartzman in his opener. The two Italians haven't met before, but expect the in-form Musetti to emerge victorious.

Pick: Musetti in straight sets

#3 Andrey Rublev vs Alex Molcan

Sixth seed Andrey Rublev will get his Italian Open campaign up and running against Alex Molcan.

World No. 6 Rublev has won 23 of his 33 matches this season. Meanwhile, the 59th-ranked Molcan improved to 11-10 in 2023 by beating Italian qualifier Stefano Napolitano.

Rublev won his lone meeting with Molcan in the inaugural Banja Luka semifinals this year and should prevail again.

Pick: Rublev in straight sets

#4 Taylor Fritz vs Yannick Hanfmann

Ninth seed Taylor Fritz opens his Italian Open campaign against qualifier Yannick Hanfmann.

World No. 9 Fritz is 27-9 on the season. The 101st-ranked Hanfmann, meanwhile, emerged from qualifying to beat Nicolas Jarry in his opener and improve to 9-6 in 2023.

The two players haven't locked horns before, but the in-form Fritz should come out triumphant.

Pick: Frtiz in straight sets

#5 Caroline Garcia (Fifth seed at Italian Open) vs Camila Osorio

Fifth seed Caroline Garcia takes on qualifier Camila Osorio for a place in the Rome third round.

World No. 4 Garcia beat Ana Bogdan in her opener to improve to 20-10 on the season. Meanwhile, the 100th-ranked Osorio has had two wins this week to bring up her tenth win in 16 matches in 2023.

Garcia beat Osorio in the pair's lone meeting in the Lyon semifinal this year and should win again.

Pick: Garcia in straight sets

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Aditya Singh