Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula are set to face off in the quarter-finals in Rome, a match-up considered worthy of a later round. Swiatek is currently ranked No. 3 and Pegula No. 5. Both have been top players for years and are on the short list of legitimate Roland Garros contenders.
Pegula Aims to Continue Recent Success Against Swiatek
Pegula won her third-round match 6-0, 6-0 over Rebeka Masarova, and edged Anastasia Potapova. Swiatek won her third-rounder 6-1, 6-0 over Elisabetta Cocciaretto and dominated Naomi Osaka 6-2, 6-1.
Swiatek previously dominated Pegula, including a WTA Finals title match in Cancun in 2023 where she dropped just one game to the American. However, Pegula has won their last two meetings in straight sets. She has narrowed Iga’s lead in their head-to-head to 6-5.
Playing Swiatek will always be an uphill climb for Pegula, especially on clay. Swiatek uses heavy-topspin from both sides, while Pegula hits as flat as anyone on either tour.
Pegula needs Swiatek to be slightly off from the baseline and must find a way to make her own shots penetrate through the slower clay. Swiatek is tipped to win the match.
Rybakina and Svitolina in Quarter-Final Showdown
Elena Rybakina and Elina Svitolina will also clash in the quarter-finals. Rybakina has won a Slam and risen to No. 2. Svitolina has won a title, put up a 26-7 record, and re-entered the Top 10.
Rybakina’s run was not unexpected, considering that she’s still just 26, and she closed 2025 with a title run at the WTA Finals. Svitolina’s surge has been a surprise, however. At 31, after three seasons outside the Top 20, and a mental break late last year, her best days appeared to be behind her.
Rybakina has won four of their seven matches, including their most recent, in the Indian Wells semifinals in March. Svitolina has won two of three on clay, and that semi at IW was a close two-setter. She’s probably a more natural clay-courter than Rybakina, and is capable of an upset here.
This is an uphill battle for Svitolina, just as it is for Pegula when she faces Swiatek. Svitolina has committed to a more aggressive game style in 2026, and it has worked against most opponents. Rybakina is predicted as the winner.
These two are both having what could turn into career-best seasons.