Blake Krass gives his pick, preview and prediction for the epic Italian Open semi-final match between Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina.
The 2026 Italian Open is the final big clay tournament ahead of the French Open.
There is a great semi-final match set between Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina. The match begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 14.
It seems as if Iga Swiatek is back to her best, at least on clay. Swiatek had been on one of the coldest stretches of her career to start 2026. This is the first time she has made it past the quarter-finals at any tournament this year. However, Swiatek could be getting hot at the perfect time to make another run at Roland-Garros. Swiatek is one of the greatest clay players we have ever seen. A fifth French Open title would move Swiatek into solo third all-time in French Open wins.
It’s sometimes easy to forget that Swiatek is only 24-years-old, because she burst onto the scene as one of the most composed and mature players in the world at such a young age. Swiatek has a chance to make real history in her career, especially by shattering some of the records on clay. This would be Swiatek’s fourth Italian Open title if she can win two more matches, which would make her just two titles behind Chris Evert for the most here in Rome.
Elina Svitolina is playing some of the best tennis of her life at 31-years-old. Svitolina started the year by winning the ASB Classic and making the Australian Open semi-finals. She has since made the semi-finals at Indian Wells and Stuttgart, as well as making a final in Dubai. She is back in her sixth semi-final of the season here in Rome, showing she can do it on clay as well. Svitolina has always been a great clay player, with five French Open quarter-finals to her name. She is also a two-time winner here in Rome and is looking to add one more WTA 1000 title to her resume this year. Svitolina’s massive win over Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals showed just how great her game is at the moment.
My best bet for this match is for Iga Swiatek to cover the 5.5-game spread. We hadn’t seen it in a while until this tournament, but when Iga Swiatek is in the zone, there is nobody more dangerous in the sport. Swiatek possesses a laser focus and ability to finish off opponents that the other top players like Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka don’t have. Especially on clay, where Swiatek is the best player in the world, she is absolutely relentless. Since a shaky Round of 64 match, Swiatek has crushed her competition. She won 6-1, 6-0 in the Round of 32, defeated Naomi Osaka 6-2, 6-1 in the Round of 16 and beat the World No. 5 Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-2 in the quarter-finals.
Iga Swiatek is in one of those modes where she is simply unstoppable. Elina Svitolina is the next person in her way and could be in big trouble. That is why I will be backing Swiatek to win a fourth straight match in dominant fashion.
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