🎾 WTA Rome: Rebecca Šramková vs McCartney Kessler

🎾 WTA Rome: Rebecca Šramková vs McCartney Kessler – Match Preview

🧠 Form & Context

🇸🇰 Rebecca Šramková

• Late 2024 breakout: Caught fire late last season with finals in Monastir, Hua Hin, and Jiujiang, plus a Round of 16 showing in Rome—beating Kenin and Boulter as a qualifier.
• 2025 struggles: Hasn’t carried that spark into this season. She's 8–12 on the year with no back-to-back main-draw wins since January.
• Fond Foro Italico memories: Nearly stunned Jelena Ostapenko in last year’s R16, losing in a final-set tiebreak.
• Flying under the radar: Arrives with less hype but could thrive with less pressure on her preferred clay.

🇺🇸 McCartney Kessler

• Fast riser: One of the breakout Americans over the past year, reaching three WTA finals (titles in Cleveland and Hobart) and leaping into the top 50.
• Clay adaptation issues: Struggled in recent events, falling to Fiona Ferro in Rouen and Bianca Andreescu in Madrid.
• Saint-Malo run: Made the QF last week, but victories came against players ranked outside the top 250.
• Game mismatch: Her flat groundstrokes and attacking game are less potent on European red clay, where long rallies and patience are rewarded.

🔍 Match Breakdown

This is a classic case of contrasting trajectories. Šramková’s 2025 has lacked rhythm, but she’s a proven threat in Rome and thrives on clay’s demands for variety and depth. Kessler enters with more recent WTA-level wins and confidence, yet clay neutralizes much of her weaponry.

It could come down to who adapts better to the tempo: Šramková’s mix of spin and angles versus Kessler’s drive and early strikes. Experience on this surface leans toward the Slovakian.

➡️ Full Match Analysis & Prediction: Available for Patreon members here.