The quarterfinals 2025 WTA Rome Open will be played on Thursday, May 15 as Coco Gauff takes centrestage. You can get the best predictions and tips for the day from this tournament here.
Coco Gauff v Qinwen Zheng
Coco Gauff and Qinwen Zheng renew their rivalry in Rome with the American holding a commanding 2–0 lead.
Their first meeting came in last year’s Italian Open quarter-finals, where Gauff’s relentless depth and defense overwhelmed Zheng 6-3, 6-4, and she followed that by clinching a 6-3, 7-6(2) win over the young Chinese star in the 2024 WTA Finals.
Gauff’s game is predicated on aggressive yet intelligent baseline play. She wields a high-kick forehand that jumps off clay and a two-handed backhand that she uses to redirect pace or reset rallies.
Her athleticism and rapid court coverage allow her to chase down seemingly unreachable balls and transition seamlessly into offense. Moreover, her improved serve—now peaking around 200 km/h—earns her free points on key clay-court kick serves .
Zheng, in contrast, is a master of variety and disguise. At 1.80 m, she employs flat, penetrating groundstrokes to take time away from opponents, then mixes in well-disguised drop-shots and angled backhand slices to disrupt rhythm.
On clay, Gauff boasts a an impressive 10–2 slate this season with a finals appearance in Madrid.
Her aggressive topspin and defensive prowess have carried her to semifinal finish here in 2024. She would like to improve that.
Zheng is 6–2 on clay in 2025 and owns an Olympic gold, also on this surface last summer, showcasing her ability to sustain pressure in extended rallies.
This year, Gauff is 23–7 overall, her most consistent season yet, while Zheng sits at 13–7, riding confidence from a stunning win over Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid fourth round.
Tactically, expect Gauff to dictate with her serve-plus-forehand first-strike game and force Zheng into defensive positions. Zheng will look to extend rallies, deploy her slice and drop-shots, and target Gauff’s backhand under pressure.
Gauff v Zheng Tip: Gauff to win in three sets: 13/3
Jasmine Paolini v Peyton Stearns
Jasmine Paolini takes on Peyton Stearns in their semifinal of the Italian Open and their rivalry arrives fresh: they are facing off for the first time.
Paolini, 29, is a versatile baseliner who thrives on clay’s higher bounce. She mixes heavy topspin forehands with well-disguised drop-shots and angled slices to open the court, then steps inside to finish with a punchy backhand down the line.
Her movement is compact, allowing her to counterpunch effectively and transition to offense when opponents shorten points under pressure.
Stearns, 23, contrasts with a flat, first-strike style. The American hits early on the rise, relying on a 110 mph serve and a deep, penetrating two-handed backhand to dictate baseline exchanges. Her aggressive take-the-ball-early approach and willingness to finish at the net have paid dividends against higher-ranked opponents this spring.
In 2025, Paolini boasts a 20-8 including a runner-up finish at Roland Garros 2024 and a semifinal appearance in Stuttgart 2025, underscoring her comfort on red dirt.
Stearns has quickly built her clay résumé to 8–2 in 2025, highlighted by straight-sets upsets of Anna Kalinskaya, Madison Keys, Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina in Rome’s early rounds.
This season Paolini is 20–8 overall and 8–2 on clay, combining consistency with her clay-court craft to dispatch top-20 foes in Stuttgart and Madrid. Stearns sits at 16–11, her 8–2 clay record not too different from her opponent.
Tactically, Paolini will look to use her heavy topspin and variety—mixing depth, angles and drops—to extend rallies and draw errors from Stearns’ flatter strokes.
Stearns must shorten points with her serve-plus-forehand aggression, taking time away from Paolini before the Italian can reset with variety. Fitness and patience will be decisive under Rome’s thin-air conditions.
Paolini v Stearns Tip: Three sets in the match: 6/5
