Italian Open 2024: Madison Keys vs Sorana Cirstea preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (18) Madison Keys vs (28) Sorana Cirstea
Date: May 13, 2024
Tournament: Italian Open 2024
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize money: $5,509,771
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Madison Keys vs Sorana Cirstea preview
18th seed Madison Keys will take on Sorana Cirstea in the fourth round of the 2024 Italian Open on Monday.
Keys beat Camila Osorio 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the third round, where she was up against 12th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia. The American was initially on the backfoot in the first set as she fell behind 3-0. However, she soon raised her level as she swept six of the next seven games to claim the set.
Haddad Maia put herself in a position to win the second set as well but got broken when she served for it for 5-3. She nipped Keys' comeback in the bud as she broke back immediately to take the set.
There were five straight breaks of serve to start the third set, with Keys gaining the upper hand to lead 3-2. She remained in front until the end and broke Haddad Maia's serve one last time for a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win.
Cirstea secured a 7-5, 6-0 win over Brenda Fruhvirtova to set up a third-round date with reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. The two were evenly matched for most of the first set but the Romanian outclassed her opponent in the tie-break to clinch the set.
Cirstea almost ran away with the match in the second set as she quickly raced to a 5-1 lead. Vondrousova's final stand made things interesting as she stopped her opponent from serving out the set on her first try. Nevertheless, the Romanian got the job done on her second attempt to score a 7-6 (1), 6-3 win.
Madison Keys vs Sorana Cirstea head-to-head
Cirstea leads Keys 2-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2023 Indian Wells Open following the American's mid-match retirement.
Madison Keys vs Sorana Cirstea odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Madison Keys vs Sorana Cirstea prediction
Cirstea has found her footing in Rome after a dismal start to the clay swing and has made the fourth round here for the first time in her career as well. Her win over Vondrousova was her third over a top-10 player this season.
Keys outlasted Haddad Maia to score a good win over a solid clay-court player. The American's good run of form continues following her semifinal finish in Madrid. While Cirstea's previous win in this rivalry was courtesy of her opponent's retirement, her other win was a three-set affair at the 2019 Madrid Open.
Keys hasn't relied on her usual shotmaking prowess to hit her opponents off the court. She's not afraid to engage in long rallies and construct a point before going in for the kill. She's a former finalist in Rome as well, and given her results this clay swing, she could notch up her first win over Cirstea on Monday.
Pick: Madison Keys to win in three sets.