With this being one of the final tournaments before the French Open, the WTA 1000 Rome event will be one of the final opportunities for the world’s best female players to test themselves and prepare.

The Italian Open is scheduled to begin on May 5 (local time) and will run through to May 17 (local time).

Quick Picks

Our pick: Paolini to win

Value bet: Rybakina to win

Long shot: Gauff to win

Betting Preview

This year’s event is expected to feature a strong field, with the world’s best set to turn up.

Jasmine Paolini is the reigning and defending champion, after she defeated Coco Gauff in straight sets last year (6-4, 6-2), and she will be among one of the favourites to do it again. 

Of course, she’ll have to compete with many of the usual suspects in the sport, with Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Gauff all set to feature.

Sabalenka lost in the quarter-finals of the recent Madrid Open, while Swiatek was forced to retire midway through her Round of 32 match. 

Her participation is doubtful at this point. Gauff was beaten in the Round of 16.

Elena Rybakina is another name to keep an eye on, as she has been very good on clay over the last 52 weeks. 

Although she was also beaten in the Round of 16 in Madrid, she is 14-3 on clay, having recently won in Stuttgart.

Betting Markets to Watch

While the odds haven’t been released (as of writing), it’s likely that there’ll be some value in Paolini to retain her title.She’s not had the best of seasons recently, with her overall record 36-22 over the last year. However, when you look at her performances on clay, she’s 10-3. 

She lost in the Round of 32 in Madrid and the Round of 32 in Stuttgart. Still, with her quality, she’s shown she can thrive. 

With home support, she could offer value worth exploring to win this event.

Rybakina is another to keep an eye on. She is 14-3 on this surface over the last 52 weeks. She’s arguably been playing some of the best tennis of her career recently, with some big wins. As noted, she won in Germany recently, so that could give her the confidence to get to the end.

Sabalenka and Swiatek will likely feature highly in the odds, but they may not offer value.Although they’ve had solid records on clay over the last 52 weeks, recent events haven’t gone their way.

Our Prediction

You can check out all of the latest tennis betting odds at Sportsbet.

We think there’s going to be value in Paolini to win this event, and believe she will be the likely winner.

We think there’s additional value in Rybakina, while our long shot is on Gauff to repeat last season's achievement. 

She is 18-4 over the last year on clay, but she’s been beaten early in the last two clay tournaments, which raises questions.