Italian Open 2023: Stephens vs Podoroska Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Italian Open first-round match featuring Sloane Stephens vs. Nadia Podoroska on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.

Sloane Stephens vs. Nadia Podoroska Preview

Hot on the heels of a first title of the season, Sloane Stephens faces Nadia Podoroska in a tricky opener at the 2023 Italian Open in Rome. Who will prevail?

Sloane Stephens produced something akin to her best tennis in Saint-Malo albeit against a relatively weaker field at the 125K event this past week. She was the top seed there and romped to her first title in more than a year. It’s an important step for the American who is defending quarterfinal points at Roland Garros later this month and could do with racking up as many points between now and then. Stephens will battle Nadia Podoroska in the first round of the Italian Open.

Nadia Podoroska has faded out of the limelight in the past two seasons, majorly due to injuries. She’s a respectable 16-11 for the season although she has recorded just one win on the WTA Tour, which came in January at the Australian Open when she defeated Leolia Jeanjean. The Argentine has plied her trade on the ITF and WTA 125K level for most of the season, winning 10 matches on clay and bagging the 125K title in Cali at the start of February.

Sloane Stephens vs. Nadia Podoroska Prediction and Pick

Sloane Stephens and Nadia Podoroska have not played each other on the WTA Tour, with their first-round match at the Italian Open in Rome being their first meeting. Stephens was handsomely rewarded for dropping down the WTA’s second tier this past week as she was in search of points and form heading to the most crucial stretch of her season. I think she’s got a lot more bite in her game now than say two months ago, and she’ll have enough to get past the wily Argentine.