Aryna Sabalenka begins her Italian Open campaign with a second-round clash against two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejčíková. The world No. 1 will be eager to return to her dominant best in Rome after her shock quarterfinals exit in Madrid. But Krejčíková is a strong clay-court player who will have her sights set on pulling off an upset on Thursday.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Barbora Krejčíková Match Details
Date: May 7, 2026
Tournament: Italian Open 2026
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy
Surface: Outdoor Clay
Category: WTA 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, Sky Sports, TSN
Sabalenka vs Krejčíková Head-to-Head Record
The head-to-head stands firmly in Sabalenka’s favor, as the Belarusian has won 6 of the 7 matches between the two. Their last meeting was at the 2024 Australian Open, where Sabalenka won comfortably in straight sets.
Krejčíková, a 2021 French Open champion, had been sidelined by injury since February. But she made her return to the WTA Tour with an impressive 6-2, 6-4 win over Elsa Jacquemot in the first round of the Italian Open.
Injuries have impacted Krejčíková’s progress for much of the last 12 months, and this will be only her eighth match of 2026 (4-3 win-loss record).
Sabalenka has been in stellar form this year, winning three titles and suffering just two losses going into the Italian Open. But after being upset by Hailey Baptiste in the quarterfinals in Madrid, the Belarusian will be eager to return to her best in Rome.
Despite her dominance on the WTA Tour, Sabalenka has never won the Italian Open. She made the final in 2024, losing to Iga Świątek.
Sabalenka vs Krejčíková Prediction and Pick
Sabalenka will be the clear favorite to come out on top in this one as she looks to put the loss to Baptiste in her rear-view mirror. It will be interesting to see if there is any uncertainty in her performance stemming from that loss.
Krejčíková will take plenty of confidence from her first-round win. She looked solid on her serve, saving 9 break-point opportunities while converting 4 of her own. But defeating Sabalenka is a completely different ball game, and Krejčíková will have to take her performance up a notch if she wants to have any chance of even troubling the top seed.
The Czech star will hope to disrupt Sabalenka’s rhythm, which has proven to be the best way to get her off her game.
But we are backing Sabalenka to come through unscathed and start her Italian Open run with a comfortable win.
Pick – Sabalenka in straight sets.
