WTA Rome: Veronika Kudermetova vs Amanda Anisimova

WTA Rome: Veronika Kudermetova vs Amanda Anisimova

🧠 Form & Context

Veronika Kudermetova
It’s been a patchy ride for Kudermetova this clay season. She opened her Rome campaign with a shaky win over Lucrezia Stefanini, facing three breaks and posting a second-serve win rate under 30%. That won’t cut it against stronger opposition. While her semifinal run in Rome last year was a career-best on clay, she hasn’t managed to build on that in 2024, arriving with a 3–5 record on the surface. Her baseline firepower is potent, but execution and serve reliability remain red flags.

Amanda Anisimova
The American is still working her way back from a hip injury that forced her retirement in Charleston. That said, she’s already bagged a title this year—winning Doha in February—and when fit, she’s one of the cleanest ball strikers on tour. Her heavy topspin and early-take backhand are tailor-made for clay, and her recent win over Kudermetova in Charleston (6-2, 6-2) proves she has the blueprint to exploit this matchup.

🔍 Match Breakdown

Their most recent head-to-head was one-sided in Anisimova’s favor. She neutralized Kudermetova’s power, picked on her second serve, and dictated baseline exchanges with ease. If she’s physically sound, she can do it again—especially in Rome’s slower conditions, which give her time to set up and strike cleanly off both wings.

Kudermetova needs to land a high first-serve percentage and keep rallies short to avoid getting drawn into a rhythm battle she can’t win. Rome’s heavier clay might help her defend better, but it could also favor Anisimova’s timing and ability to redirect pace.

🔮 Prediction

Prediction: Anisimova in straight sets. If she’s close to full fitness, her confidence, clay court IQ, and recent head-to-head dominance should carry her through—even if Kudermetova fights hard to stay in it early.