Aliaksandra Sasnovich will take on Canada’s Leylah Fernandez in the opening round of the Italian Open

Sasnovich has been in poor form this season and is coming to Italy following a second-round exit from the Madrid Open. The Belarusian player has suffered early eliminations from most of the tournaments she has played so far this year.

The 29-year-old is ranked World No.47 in WTA women’s singles but she hasn’t quite played like a Top 50 player this year. Sasnovich will be aiming to turn things around in Italy and set a positive tone for the remainder of the season.

Leylah Fernandez’s form coming into this match

Leylah Fernandez has gradually emerged as a strong doubles player but hasn’t quite been able to establish herself in singles since her US Open final loss to Emma Raducanu in 2021. She is coming into this round following an opening round exit at the Madrid Open and the story has been similar throughout the season so far. The 20-year-old has no noteworthy singles performances this year and it remains to be seen if she can turn things around in Italy.

Fernandez’s drop in form in singles has been pretty rapid over the last few years and it would be foolish to expect that things would change overnight. The Canadian has to focus on being more consistent and she would be hoping that the Italian Open would be the platform where she can play freely to the best of her abilities. However, it will certainly not be easy against Sasnovich in the opening round.

Details:

Date – Tuesday, 9th May

Court Type – Clay outdoor surface

Telecast – Tennis Channel

Start Time – To be Announced

Location – Foro Italico

Match details – Round of 128 match

Head to head and Predictions

Sasnovich and Fernandez have never played each other before on the WTA tour. This is the first professional head to head clash between the two players. It promises to be an intense encounter as both players have a similar playing style. This one is a difficult match to call as both players are very close to each other in terms of form and rankings. We’re expecting an exciting clash with Fernandez eventually editing out Sasnovich in three sets.

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