Amanda Anisimova begins her clay-court campaign with a second-round match against Jeļena Ostapenko at the Italian Open. The American is back from injury and will have her sights set on a strong run in Rome. Ostapenko hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts to the clay-court swing, and will be eager to build on her impressive win over Lucrezia Stefanini in the first round.
Amanda Anisimova vs Jeļena Ostapenko 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
Anisimova vs Ostapenko Head-to-Head Record
The head-to-head record between these two players is 1-1, with Ostapenko triumphing in their first meeting in Doha in 2022 and Anisimova coming out on top in straight sets in Doha last year.
This will be their first meeting on clay, which by no means is Anisimova’s favorite surface. Her best showing in Rome is a quarterfinal run in 2022, and she was eliminated in the second round last year.
Anisimova will be playing her first clay-court match of the year after an injury forced her to miss the events in Stuttgart and Madrid. The 24-year-old last played in Miami and holds an 11-6 win-loss record this year, with a semifinal run in Dubai as her best result.
Ostapenko has enjoyed strong runs on clay over the years, reaching the semifinals in Rome in 2023. But she has a 3-3 win-loss record on the red dirt for the year going into this match.
The Latvian has struggled to retain her concentration and focus in matches this year, but remains capable of defeating most players on the WTA Tour when she is on her game.
Anisimova vs Ostapenko Prediction and Pick
Anisimova will be the slight favorite going into this match, but may have some rust to contend with after spending the last six weeks on the sidelines. The sixth seed is also not the most proficient player on clay, but her aggressive returning and baseline skills could come in handy on the surface.
Ostapenko has had plenty of success on clay over the years, but she has struggled to maintain the necessary consistency in singles this year.
Both players are aggressive ball strikers and like to control points early. But Anisimova and Ostapenko are both still looking to find their best form, with the former just returning from an injury.
With this being Anisimova’s first match on clay this year, Ostapenko could have an opening to pull off an upset. But it could well come down to how dialed in the 28-year-old is and whether she can string together a strong performance.
We believe that Anisimova’s overall consistency will give her the edge in this one, but only just.
Pick – Anisimova in two sets.
