Italian Open 2022 Final: Iga Swiatek vs Ons Jabeur preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs (9) Ons Jabeur
Tournament: Italian Open 2022.
Date: 15 May 2022.
Match Timing: 1 pm local time, 11 am GMT, 4.30 pm IST
Round: Final.
Venue: Rome, Italy.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Clay.
Prize money: €2,527,250.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Iga Swiatek vs Ons Jabeur preview
Top seed Iga Swiatek will take on ninth seed Ons Jabeur in the final of the Italian Open on Sunday. The Pole has looked invincible in recent weeks and is on a 27-match winning streak.
Swiatek started the season with semifinal runs at the Adelaide International and the Australian Open, losing to Ashleigh Barty and Danielle Collins, respectively. After losing in the last 16 of the Dubai Tennis Championships to Jelena Ostapenko, the 20-year-old's winning run began at the Qatar Open, where she beat Anett Kontaveit in the final.
She followed this up by completing the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami. Swiatek then won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart by beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
After missing out on the Madrid Open due to a right shoulder injury, the Pole entered the Italian Open as the defending champion. She started the tournament by thrashing Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-0, and then beat Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-1 to seal her place in the quarterfinals.
The World No. 1 defeated Bianca Andreescu 7-6(2), 6-0 and Sabalenka 6-2, 6-1 to reach the final of the Italian Open.
wins in a row and second final in Rome in two years. Can ANYBODY stop @iga_swiatek?
Back-to-back Iga! 👏🚀
2️⃣7️⃣ wins in a row and second final in Rome in two years. Can ANYBODY stop @iga_swiatek?
Swiatek-Sabalenka 6-2 6-1
#IBI22 | #tennis https://t.co/VO2t4GubpX
Jabeur, meanwhile, started the season with a run to the quarterfinals of the Sydney International. She also reached the last eight of the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Qatar Open, losing to Simona Halep and Anett Kontaveit respectively.
After crashing out of the Indian Wells Open in the second round, the Tunisian reached the last 16 of the Miami Open. Jabeur reached her first final this year at the Charleston Open but lost to Belinda Bencic. The 27-year-old then reached the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, where she lost to Paula Badosa in three sets.
Jabeur won the biggest title of her career at the Madrid Open, where she beat Jessica Pegula in the final.
The 27-year-old entered the Italian Open as the ninth seed and started the competition by beating Sorana Cirstea in the first round. She followed this up by triumphing over Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5, 6-2. A straight-sets win over Yulia Putintseva saw her reach the quarterfinals of the Italian Open.
She then had to fight back from a set down to beat fourth seed Maria Sakkari. Jabeur was up against Daria Kasatkina in the semifinals and won the first set 6-4. However, the Russian took the second set 6-1 and had a match point in the third. Jabeur pulled off a gritty comeback to win the match 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to reach her second successive WTA 1000 final.
Ons Jabeur in the last 24 hours:
Down 61 52 to Maria Sakkari in the quarterfinals, won 16 75 6-0.
Down match point to Daria Kasatkina in the semifinals, won 64 16 75.
Jabeur now 21-0 this season when she wins the 1st set. https://t.co/21e6GABgow
Iga Swiatek vs Ons Jabeur head-to-head
This will be the fourth meeting between Swiatek and Jabeur, with the latter leading the head-to-head 2-1. The first match between the two took place in the first round of the Washington Open in 2019, which Swiatek won in three sets.
However, Jabeur beat the Pole in the next two encounters, both of which took place last year. Victory for Swiatek will seal a fifth consecutive title and her fourth WTA 1000 crown this season. If Jabeur wins, she will seal her second WTA 1000 title.
Iga Swiatek vs Ons Jabeur odds
All odds are sourced from Oddschecker.
Iga Swiatek vs Ons Jabeur prediction
Swiatek's incredible run of form sees her enter the match as the overwhelming favorite. The Pole has been sensational this season and has won 27 matches on the trot.
Jabeur, however, cannot be written off, given her current run of form. The Tunisian has a pretty impressive record on clay as well, winning 30 out of 36 matches on the surface since the start of 2021.
Swiatek will look to dictate the play from the baseline from the get-go with her heavy topspin shots. She is also a great mover on clay.
Jabeur, on her part, will look to disrupt the Pole's rhythm using her slices and drop shots. The Tunisian will have to be at her strongest and cannot afford to make any errors against an opponent who hasn't set a foot wrong in a long time.
Jabeur has produced some brilliant tennis lately, but it's hard to imagine anyone beating Swiatek, who seems to have hit another gear in Rome.
Pick: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets.