Rome Previews: Can Iga Swiatek find her footing in Jessica Pegula rematch?

Iga Swiatek vs. Jessica Pegula

This is a quarterfinal, but it feels worthy of a later round. Swiatek is No. 3, Pegula is No. 5, they’ve been top players for years, and they’re both on the short list of legitimate Roland Garros contenders.

They’ve also been very much in form in Rome. Pegula won her third-round match 6-0, 6-0 over Rebeka Masarova, and edged a rapidly improving Anastasia Potapova on Monday. Swiatek was, if anything, even better; she won her third-rounder 6-1, 6-0 over Elisabetta Cocciaretto and dominated four-time Slammer Naomi Osaka 6-2, 6-1.

Once upon a time, Swiatek used to do the same thing to Pegula; she dropped just one game to the American in the WTA Finals title match in Cancun in 2023. Since that low point, though, Pegula has figured something out. She has won their last two meetings in straight sets, and narrowed Iga’s lead in their head-to-head to 6-5.

That said, playing Swiatek will always be an uphill climb for Pegula, especially on clay. The Pole is a natural puncher who uses heavy-topspin from both sides. The American is a natural counter-puncher who hits as flat as anyone on either tour.

First, Pegula has to hope that Swiatek is at least a little off from the baseline; it’s tough to counterpunch when you’re scrambling to catch up to the ball in the corners. Then she has to find a way to make her own shots, which were honed on hard courts, penetrate through the slower clay.

Pegula looks as good as she for most of this season, but Swiatek looks like she might be peaking at the right time. Winner: Swiatek

👉 Start time: 7:00 a.m. ET | 4:00 a.m. PT

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Elena Rybakina vs. Elina Svitolina

These two are both having what could turn into career-best seasons. 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, though, has been a surprise. At 31, after three seasons outside the Top 20, and a mental break late last year, her best days appeared to be behind her.

They’ve played seven times, and Rybakina has won four of those matches, including their most recent, in the Indian Wells semifinals in March. But 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.

But just as it is for Pegula when she faces Swiatek, this is an uphill battle for Svitolina. She has committed to a more aggressive game style in 2026, and it has worked against most opponents. But to win the power-baseline battle against Rybakina, she might have to throw caution aside and red line her game. Even if she does that successfully, Rybakina will always have a chance to equalize with her serve. Winner: Rybakina

👉 Estimated start time: 1:00 p.m. ET | 10:00 a.m. PT

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Rafael Jodar vs. Luca Darderi

This may or may not be the biggest of Wednesday’s quarterfinals, but it will surely be the loudest. Jodar has the popularity that comes with phenom status, and Darderi is an Italian whose first name—“Luuuu-ca”—is highly chantable.

The 24-year-old Darderi has an exceptionally low profile for someone ranked 20th in the world. The 34th-ranked Jodar is already much better known. But whether Darderi has shown up on your TV set or not, he’s had a good season, winning a title in Santiago, making a final in Buenos Aires, and reaching the round of 16 at the Australian Open. His comeback win over Alexander Zverev on Monday was his first over a Top 10 opponent.

Darderi was buoyed by the home-crowd chants against Zverev, and he will be again on Wednesday. Whether Jodar, a 19-year-old rookie, can block them out—or silence them altogether with his good play—may be the most interesting X factor in this match. As far as their games go, this is their first meeting, so we don’t know how they’ll match up. Going by the eye test and the miles-per-hour measurements, though, I’m guessing Jodar has a gear that Darderi won’t be able to find. Winner: Jodar

👉 Estimated start time: 2:30 p.m. ET | 11:30 a.m. PT

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