See below for our expert daily tennis tips and best bets around the courts for Thursday May 8, 2025!
Naomi Osaka vs Paula Badosa
7.15pm
Back Badosa to Cover the Games Handicap (+3.5) @ $1.73
Former world No.1 Naomi Osaka has moved into the second round at the Rome Masters, where she meets injury-hampered ninth seed Paula Badosa for the first time.
Osaka’s season has been stop-start – typical of her experience since returning from a maternity break – but the four-time slam winner has shown flashes of the old magic. She was beaten by Lucia Bronzetti first up in Madrid but won a WTA 125k event in Saint-Malo last week.
The 27-year-old thrashed Sara Errani 6-2 6-3 in the first round yesterday.
Badosa plays her first match since pulling out before her Miami Masters Round of 16 clash. The WTA’s 2024 Comeback Player of the Year started 2025 with a blazing run to the semi-finals, but it has been a patchy period since.
Whether those setbacks are enough to justify Osaka as a $1.53 favourite is debatable, however. She’s traditionally struggled on clay, while Badosa was a semi-finalist in Madrid in 2021 and a quarter-finalist here in 2023.
Petra Kvitova vs Ons Jabeur
7.15pm
Back Kvitova to Cover the Games Handicap (+3.5) @ $2.00
A finalist here three years ago, Ons Jabeur is searching for some clay-court form at the Rome Masters as she gets underway in the second round against modern great Petra Kvitova.
Kvitova leads the head-to-head 4-2, but Jabeur has won two of the last three – including their most recent clash, a 6-0 6-3 drubbing at Wimbledon in 2023.
After a promising start to 2025, Jabeur has again been hampered by injuries and has played only one match on the clay swing, a first-up loss to Moyuka Uchijima in Madrid after a month off. She’s currently ranked 36th.
The 35-year-old Kvitova returned from a maternity break in February and was 0-4 leading into this week – including a convincing loss to Katie Volynets in Madrid – but broke the run of outs with a 7-5 6-1 defeat of Irina-Camelia Begu yesterday.
Kvitova is a strong clay-courter traditionally, winning the Madrid Masters three times and reaching the French Open semis twice. An underdone Jabeur could be vulnerable to the Czech’s experience and class.
Aleksandar Vukic vs Nicolas Moreno de Alboran
7.15pm
Back Vukic to Win @ $2.00
Aussie Aleksandar Vukic and American Nicolas Moreno de Alboran square off for the second time in less than two weeks – but this time on a much bigger stage at the Rome Masters.
Vukic defeated Moreno de Alboran 6-3 2-6 6-0 at the Estoril Challenger in late-April, squaring up the rivalry after Moreno de Alboran won a French Open qualifier in 2023.
World No.79 Vukic had been on an eye-watering 11-match losing streak starting at the Australian Open before Estoril. But he went on to reach the semis there, also beating Marcos Giron.
World No.149 Moreno de Alboran is only recently back from an injury break. But he’s found some momentum in Rome qualifying with wins over Raphael Collignon and Giulio Zeppieri.
Vukic, though, is too good to pass up as a slight outsider in this one.
Matteo Arnaldi vs Roberto Bautista Agut
7.15pm
Back Arnaldi to Win 2-0 @ $1.75
In-form Matteo Arnaldi takes on Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round of the Rome Masters.
World No.37 Arnaldi is coming off a quarter-final run in Madrid that saw him upset Novak Djokovic, as well as Frances Tiafoe, before losing to Jack Draper.
The Italian reached the fourth round of the French Open last year and is warming up nicely for another Roland Garros charge.
Former top-10 star Bautista Agut, currently 56th, remains competitive at 37 years of age. He beat Jaume Munar in Madrid before going down to top seed Alexander Zverev.
His clay CV is relatively modest, with a semi-final appearance in Madrid back in 2014 and a couple of 250-level titles the highlights.
Arnaldi shouldn’t have much trouble here.