WTA Rome Futures Tips - Gauff good value for the title; Muchova & Svitolina to emerge from quarters

Andrew Hendrie

Editor

Last updated: Tue 05 May 2026 04:06

Andrew Hendrie 05 May 2026

Share this article

WTA Rome futures tips & predictions
Gauff backed at $13 for the title after runner-up finish in 2025
Two-time champion Svitolina tipped to emerge from fourth quarter
Muchova can take advantage of open third quarter

Expired

Coco Gauff (Photo by Getty Images)

The WTA Italian Open is live from Rome between May 5-17 and we've picked out the best futures bets to be backing for the big 1000 tournament.

WTA Rome Draw
Gauff represents value for the title
Two-time former champion looking for another deep run
Muchova can survive open third quarter

The entire top 20 is set to compete for the title in Rome, ensuring a thrilling spectacle over the next fortnight at the historic Foro Italico.

As usual, Aryna Sabalenka is favourite pre-tournament, but I'm keen to fade the World No. 1 in search of better value - check out the best betting tips below.

WTA Rome Draw

Gauff represents value for the title

Sabalenka is always the deserved favourite for pretty any tournament she enters, but I'm not sure I can justify the $3.40 odds on offer for the win here. Sabalenka has never won the title in Rome and only advanced to one final, where she won just five games against Iga Swiatek in 2024.

While we're on the subject, I also can't back Swiatek - she's yet to reach even a semi-final in 2026 and is down on confidence and form.

Instead, I'm turning to someone who reached peak level at this time last year on the clay and that's Gauff. The American advanced to the final in Rome, narrowly going down to home favourite Jasmine Paolini, before going on to win the title at Roland Garros.

Clearly Gauff is brilliant on clay and she's due a big run after a relatively quiet 2026. I think there were decent signs in Madris for Gauff - she battled food poisoning, but still fought her way into the R16, going down in a final set tiebreak to an in-form Linda Noskova.

Gauff has a nice draw to work her way into the tournament and would be seeded to meet Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals, who is also down on confidence and visibly frustrated with her level. A semi-final with Sabalenka is probably on the cards and could spell the end of her run, but at $13, I feel it's a bet worth backing.

Two-time former champion looking for another deep run

Elina Svitolina has put together a 23-7 record for the season and remains one of the most reliable players on tour.

Importantly, Svitolina has excellent pedigree in Rome, where she won the title back-to-back in 2017 and 2018. The Ukrainian is a more mature player these days and her consistency means she should be able to work her way into this tournament and give herself another good crack at the silverware.

A potential third round clash with Hailey Baptiste would be a tough matchup, but Svitolina edged out the American in three sets in Rome last year and would be confident of doing so again. Victoria Mboko is still finding her feet on clay this season, while it would be tough for Rouen and Madrid champion Marta Kostyuk to extend her winning streak deep into Rome.

Elena Rybakina is lurking at the bottom of the draw and is a former winner of this event, but she didn't look great in a loss to Anastasia Potapova in Madrid and I think is worth opposing here.

Muchova can survive open third quarter

The third quarter looks the most open to me. Jess Pegula has been amazing this season, but she's far from her best on European clay.

And as mentioned, Swiatek is yet to make a single semi-final in 2026 and was last seen crashing out of Madrid to Ann Li via retirement. Not looking good for the Pole heading into Rome.

I really like Muchova's draw to make the last eight - she'll open against a qualifier and Liudmilla Samsonova shouldn't pose much of a threat in the third round before Pegula or Leylah Fernandez are the seeded players who could be waiting in the R16.

From there, it's likely one of Swiatek, Diana Shnaider or Naomi Osaka would be waiting for a place in the semi-finals - and on current form, I'd back Muchova to beat all of them, with the Czech winning 22 of her 27 matches so far this season and making the final of her only clay event in Stuttgart (lost to Rybakina).