'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The second round of women's singles will conclude on Day 4 (Friday, May 9) of the Italian Open 2025. All seeded players received a bye into the second round. The bottom half of the draw contested their second-round matches on Thursday.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek was back to her dominating best with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Elisabetta Cocciaretto. Danielle Collins, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula and Elina Svitolina all won in straight sets as well.
Players from the top half of the draw will now aim to join them in the third round. On that note, here are the predictions for some of the matches lined up on Day 4 of the Italian Open 2025:
Trending
#1. (7) Mirra Andreeva vs (Q) Emiliana Arango
Andreeva won back-to-back WTA 1000 titles earlier in the season, the first two of her career. She beat Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina each time to reach the finals in Dubai and Indian Wells. She defeated Clara Tauson to triumph in Dubai and upstaged World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to claim the Indian Wells title.
Andreeva commenced her clay swing in Stuttgart. She beat her sister Erika Andreeva in the first round before losing to compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round. She stepped up her game at the Madrid Open, bowing out in the quarterfinals to Coco Gauff. She's now on the hunt for her first career win at the Italian Open after falling at the first hurdle on her debut last year.
Arango came through the qualifying rounds and then beat Viktoriya Tomova in three sets in the first round, thus making a winning debut at the Italian Open. Her last match against a top 10 player ended horribly for her. She took on Emma Navarro in the Merida Open final and received a 6-0, 6-0 thrashing.
Andreeva also hasn't lost to anyone outside the top 50 this year. Arango, currently ranked 97th, may not have enough tools at her disposal to outplay the teen sensation at this stage of her career.
Predicted winner: Mirra Andreeva
#2. (Q) Maria Sakkari vs (32) Magda Linette
Sakkari reached the fourth round of the recently concluded Madrid Open. However, since her ranking had fallen considerably in recent weeks, she had to participate in the qualifying rounds of the Italian Open. She rallied from a set down to win both of her qualifying round matches.
Sakkari was up against Belinda Bencic in her opener here. She captured the first set 6-2, following which her opponent retired due to an injury. She recently beat Linette twice, first in the second round of singles and then in the first round of doubles, both at the Madrid Open.
Linette won their only other encounter at the Hobart International. She has been quite inconsistent this year, with a last eight finish at the Miami Open being her best result. Sakkari's results have also been all over the place, though she seems to be feeling more confident after reuniting with former coach Tom Hill.
Additionally, Linette has reached the third round of the Italian Open only once. Sakkari has done so on five occasions, with her best result here being a semifinal showing in 2019. Having beaten her opponent a few days ago in straight sets, the Greek will be expected to replicate the result this time as well.
Predicted winner: Maria Sakkari
#3. (8) Zheng Qinwen vs Olga Danilovic
Zheng commenced her clay swing with a quarterfinal finish at the Charleston Open. However, she was stunned by Anastasia Potapova in the second round of the Madrid Open.
Danilovic beat Katerina Siniakova 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round. She previously finished as the runner-up to Elina Svitolina at the Open de Rouen and lost in the second round of the Madrid Open as well. While she reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, she hasn't been past the second round of any WTA 1000 this year, or in her career so far.
Zheng, meanwhile, has been a little up and down this season. However, she has never lost prior to the quarterfinals of the Italian Open so far. The slower conditions here suit her game and she's likely to find her mojo here once again after an early exit from Madrid.
Predicted winner: Zheng Qinwen
#4. (30) Linda Noskova vs Sonay Kartal
Noskova's first tournament on clay this year was the Open de Rouen. She lost in the second round of singles but finished as the runner-up in doubles. She was sent packing by Iga Swiatek in the third round of the Madrid Open after that.
Kartal fought back from a set down to beat Kimberly Birrell in the first round of the Italian Open. She improved her record on clay to 2-2 this year with the win. The Brit scored the best result of her career earlier this year by reaching the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
While Noskova's recent results haven't been promising, she's still the favorite to win against Kartal. The Czech's experience and accomplishments tip the scales in her favor in this encounter.
Predicted winner: Linda Noskova
