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Match Details
Fixture: (12) Hailey Baptiste vs Storm Hunter
Date: May 5, 2024
Tournament: Italian Open 2025
Round: First Round (Qualifiers)
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor clay
Prize money: $6,911,032
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports
Hailey Baptiste vs Storm Hunter preview
Twelfth seed Hailey Baptiste will begin her qualifying journey at the 2025 Italian Open with a first-round clash against Storm Hunter. Baptiste started the year well with a quarterfinal appearance at the ASB Classic, losing 7-6 (2), 1-6, 2-6 to Naomi Osaka.
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The American player did not have any notable results after that. Still, she did win against a top-ranked player like Daria Kasatkina in the second round of the Miami Open. However, she could not go further in the event, losing to Osaka again in three sets.
Baptiste started her clay season at the Charleston Open, losing 4-6, 3-6 to Emma Navarro in the second round. Her last event was the Madrid Open, where she had a similar second-round exit, losing 4-6, 3-6 to Donna Vekic.
Storm Hunter is making a comeback after almost a year-long injury layoff, having recovered from an Achilles tendon injury. The Australian player has played only one singles match in 2025, which was at a WTA 125 event in Catalonia, losing 6-2, 2-6, 5-7 against Ruth Roura Liaverias in the first round.
Hunter has played more doubles tennis this season. She reached the quarterfinals of the Miami Open with Caroline Dolehide, but she lost 5-7, 2-6, to Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend. Her last event was the Madrid Open, where she and Ellen Perez lost 4-6, 3-6 against the American pair of Coco Gauff and Robin Montgomery.
Hailey Baptiste vs Storm Hunter head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the two players on the WTA Tour.
Hailey Baptiste vs Storm Hunter odds
(Odds will be updated once available)
Hailey Baptiste vs Storm Hunter prediction
Baptiste has yet to make a deep run at any WTA singles events she has played. The American has a doubles title on clay as she won the 2021 Charleston Open with Caty McNally, winning 6-7 (4), 6-4, 10-6 against Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez. Baptiste does have two singles claycourt titles on the ITF Tour, the last of which came in Italy in 2023, where she won 6-3, 6-2 against Raluca Serban in the final.
Perez has no singles titles on the WTA Tour, but she does have a good doubles record, having won eight titles and reached a Grand Slam final as well. The Australian is a former doubles champion at the Italian Open as she won the title with Elise Mertens in 2023, winning 6-4, 6-4 against the team of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in the final.
Baptiste is the favorite for the upcoming match as she is the more seasoned singles player, and Hunter has played only one singles match this year.
Pick- Baptiste to win in straight sets
