Blake Krass takes you through his 2026 Italian Open ATP and WTA best bets for the matches on Friday, May 8.
The 2026 Italian Open is the final big clay tournament ahead of the French Open. There have already been some great matches in this tournament, but things are really starting to pick up heading into the weekend.
These are my Italian Open best bets to target on DraftKings Sportsbook for Friday, May 8.
Iga Swiatek has not played her best tennis in 2026. She lost in the Round of 64 at the Miami Open, was upset in the quarter-finals at the Stuttgart Open, and lost in the Round of 32 at the Madrid Open. It was shocking to see for a player with such incredible history on clay. Swiatek is clearly nowhere near the top of her game, making Caty McNally a live dog in this match. McNally is a huge underdog to actually pull off the upset, but I am backing her to take one set off Swiatek in this match. At +225, it’s hard to pass up, given Swiatek’s current struggles.
McNally had a nice run to the Round of 16 at the Madrid Open, upsetting Victoria Mboko in the second round. McNally was knocked out of both the Madrid Open and the Open de Rouen by Marta Kostyuk, who went on to win both tournaments. McNally just won the WTA 500 Charleston Open doubles title on clay a few weeks ago. While that was in doubles, she should still be feeling good about her recent performances on clay . The last time McNally faced Swiatek — at Wimbledon in 2025 — McNally stole the first set before Swiatek went on to win. There could be a similar result this time around.
Rafael Jodar has become an emerging star due to his performance on clay this year. Jodar is only 19 years old and was not even playing professional tennis this time last year. However, he has already won his first ATP title, winning the Grand Prix Hassan II last month. He upset Cam Norrie and made it to the semi-finals at the Barcelona Open. He followed that up with a trip to the quarter-finals in Madrid, where he lost to Jannik Sinner. Jodar has proven himself to be one of the best players in the world on clay, despite his minimal experience.
Jodar has an exciting match against Nuno Borges in the Round of 64. Borges has not been playing great tennis this year and has dropped to No. 52 in the ATP rankings. He was bounced in the Round of 128 in Madrid and was upset in an ATP Challenger event last time out. Borges played well in the Round of 128, but he is in big trouble against Jodar. My best bet for this match is for Jodar to win in two sets.
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