Jasmine Paolini was the runner-up in Roland Garros last year, and she won the Internazionali BNL d’Italia this year. Over the last 52 weeks, the Italian is 21-4 on clay. She has been an absolute force on this surface, and she is a popular pick to make the semifinals in Paris this year. However, Elina Svitolina comes into this tournament in some outrageous form. The Ukrainian is 15-2 on the dirt since arriving in Europe for the start of the clay-court swing, and one of those losses came against Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid.
While Paolini will be a trendy pick to win this match, it’s a brutal matchup for the world No. 4. And I actually like Svitolina to advance to the quarterfinals.