Tennis

2025-05-08 - Elina Svitolina vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro

A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown

Elina Svitolina vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Tennis: Rome Masters WTA Second Round
Thursday 8th May 2025 - Scheduled 5pm
4pm (British Time)

Preview

Throughout her career, Elina Svitolina has always been a solid clay courter, but perhaps not someone who could seriously be considered as a French Open Champion. That may sound harsh on a player that has reached the Quarter Final at the second Grand Slam of the season on four separate occasions, but that is where the run has tended to end.

This year the hope for Elina Svitolina is that she can go at least one step further- she has won a title on the clay courts already and had won nine in a row on the surface before losing in the Madrid Semi Final to eventual Champion Aryna Sabalenka. That run has pushed the Ukrainian back inside the top 15 in the World Rankings and will mean Svitolina will enter the French Open as a higher Ranked player than she was twelve months ago.

Credit has to be given to Elina Svitolina for the consistency she continues to show on the Tour and she will certainly arrive in Rome with some good memories of the event.

Since returning to the Tour after becoming a mother, Elina Svitolina has a 2-2 record here, but she did win the Rome tournament in back to back years in 2017 and 2018 and also reached consecutive Quarter Finals in 2020 and 2021. That is a run of form that deserves respect and Elina Svitolina is a big favourite to get the better of Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the Second Round.

The World Number 72 is from Spain and so it is no surprise that the majority of her time and energy is spent on the clay courts.

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro has had the majority of her success in tournaments below the main WTA level, which is why her career best World Ranking has been Number 52, but she has put some wins together in Rouen, Madrid and Rome that will give her some belief. However, the run in Rouen ended at the hands of Elina Svitolina, who went on to win the title there, and Bouzas Maneiro has not had much experience in facing the top players on the Tour with a 1-2 record on the clay against top 50 Ranked opponents over the last twelve months.

She is young and developing and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro will know what to expect having faced Elina Svitolina last month, but closing the gap that existed on the day will be tough. Her serve is a touch vulnerable, especially at this level, but Bouzas Maneiro may be able to make things a bit more competitive if she is able to take her Break Point opportunities.

You know Elina Svitolina will offer some of those out, but the higher Ranked player is a bit more consistent behind her second serve and has the return game to keep her Spanish opponent under some pressure. The Break Points will be key, but the feeling is that Elina Svitolina will play those a little better as she did when the pair faced off in Rouen and that should see the World Number 14 cover on her way through to the Third Round.

Prediction

This is the last big tournament before the French Open begins, the second Grand Slam of the 2025 season.

It is a chance for players to lay down a marker and the World Number 14 can win and cover the handicap in this Second Round match.