Blake Krass takes you through his preview, predictions and best bets for the men’s and women’s side of the 2026 Italian Open.
The 2026 Italian Open is the final big clay tournament ahead of the French Open. It has been a clay season dominated by Jannik Sinner, and he is looking to add one more Masters 1000 title ahead of his bid for the career Grand Slam at Roland-Garros. Meanwhile, it is wide open on the women’s side of the tournament following a week full of upsets in Madrid.
These are my Italian Open best bets to target on DraftKings Sportsbook in the futures market.
The 2026 calendar year began with a crowning win for Carlos Alcaraz, when he became the youngest man to ever complete the career Grand Slam. Alcaraz did so by beating his arch-rival Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final. However, ever since that historic win for Alcaraz, 2026 has turned into the year of Jannik Sinner.
Sinner has now won five straight ATP Masters 1000 tournaments dating back to the end of 2025. He is collecting big paychecks and important trophies, while also creating serious history. Sinner has become the first man to win the first four Masters 1000 events of the year since the implementation of the Masters series in 1990. The Madrid Open title also moved Sinner ahead of Alcaraz in the all-time Masters titles list. Sinner’s nine titles have him ranked seventh all-time at just 24 years old.
Jannik Sinner now has a chance at serious history at the 2026 Italian Open. If Sinner wins this title in his home country, he will have completed the Career Golden Masters by winning all nine Masters 1000 events at least once. Novak Djokovic is the only player in history to accomplish this feat. Sinner is the clear favorite to secure the title in Rome, with Alcaraz once again out of the field. In fact, Sinner is such a dominant favorite that he is just +185 to win the tournament without dropping a single set. Sinner dropped just one set in both Monte-Carlo and Madrid, but went perfect over the Sunshine Double.
It is impossible to bet against Jannik Sinner at the moment. That is why my best bet comes in the “Bottom Half Winner” market. The bottom half is basically its own tournament to decide who gets the honor of losing to Sinner in the final. Alexander Zverev is the favorite after making the final in Madrid. However, things are much different this week with Djokovic back in the field. Djokovic has not played since Indian Wells due to an injury, but he is back and trying to get ready for Roland Garros. Djokovic would not be returning if he were not ready to play, so I expect him to be at his best.
In a tournament where Sinner could make history by joining Djokovic as the only men to complete the Career Golden Masters, it’s important to remember how dominant Djokovic has been over the past two decades. Nobody besides Djokovic has ever won each of these tournaments once, but Djokovic has won each of these tournaments at least twice. His 40 career ATP Masters 1000 titles equal a record that will be hard to break, even by Sinner or Alcaraz.
As long as Alcaraz is out and Djokovic is in, Djokovic is the player that I trust the most outside of Sinner. Djokovic has six career Italian Open titles, the second-most in history. That is despite spending a big chunk of his prime having to compete against Rafael Nadal, the greatest clay player in the history of the sport. Djokovic has the experience and extra gear that nobody else in this field has. I will back him at +400 to reach the final and try to prevent Jannik Sinner from joining him on the Career Golden Masters list.
The 2026 WTA Italian Open is a wide-open field. The World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still the favorite to win the tournament, but there are a few worthy challengers. Behind Sabalenka is Iga Swiatek. Swiatek has not had her best game in 2026, but she is always dangerous. Sabalenka and Swiatek are tied for fifth place all-time in WTA 1000 titles, making the next win by either of them in this series historically significant. Elena Rybakina is another serious contender. Rybakina won the only major of the year so far and is a former champion here in Rome. Coco Gauff made the final here last year just before winning the title at Roland Garros. The American will be looking for another great tournament in Rome to get her ready for Paris.
However, my pick to win the tournament is the 19-year-old phenom Mirra Andreeva. Andreeva is currently the seventh-ranked player in the world and has already proven that she can become one of the greats. Andreeva has also proven to be a great player on clay. She made the 2024 Roland Garros semi-finals, her best-ever major finish. She followed that up with another great showing at the French Open in 2025 with a quarter-final trip. Andreeva continued to show her prowess on clay in Madrid last week, making it to the final.
The draw looks quite favorable for Andreeva. She should cruise to the quarter-finals, where she would most likely take on Gauff. Gauff has not been on her A-game for most of 2026 and has always had a complicated relationship with clay. I would back Andreeva to win that match. She would then likely face Sabalenka in a massive semi-final. While she would be an underdog, Andreeva beat Sabalenka the last time they played in the 2025 Indian Wells Open final. Andreeva also beat Sabalenka the last time they played on clay at the 2024 French Open. Andreeva has a great chance to run through this field and get one step further than she did in Madrid by winning this title.
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