Italian Open 2023: Stan Wawrinka vs Ilya Ivashka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Fixture: Stan Wawrinka vs Ilya Ivashka

Date: Wednesday, May 10

Tournament: Italian Open 2023

Round: First Round (Round of 128)

Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy

Category: Masters 1000

Surface: Outdoor clay

Prize money: €7,705,780

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

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Stan Wawrinka vs Ilya Ivashka preview

Wawrinka will be in action in Rome on Wednesday.

Stan Wawrinka will take on Ilya Ivashka in an all-unseeded opening-round tussle at the Italian Open.

The 84th-ranked Wawrinka is 11-9 on the season, coming off a second-round loss at the Madrid Masters last fortnight. Earlier, during the European claycourt swing, he made it to the Round of 32 at Banja Luca and Monte-Carlo.

The three-time Grand Slam champion made a poor start to the year, losing three of his first four matches before reaching the quarter-finals at Rotterdam and Marseille. Wawrinka then made the Round of 16 at Indian Wells.

He has a 24-16 record in Rome, making a Round of 16 exit to eventual winner Novak Djokovic last year. That snapped a run of three straight opening-round losses. Wawrinka reached his lone final at the Foro Italico 15 years ago, losing to Djokovic in three sets. He has also made the quarter-finals (2010) and semi-finals (2015) once.

Meanwhile, the 73rd-ranked Ivashka is having a pretty underwhelming campaign, winning only four of his 15 matches. He's coming off opening-round losses at Madrid and Barcelona. Two of his four wins this season came at Indian Wells, with the others coming at Miami and Monte-Carlo.

Ivashka lost on his Rome main-draw debut last year, going down in three sets to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

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Stan Wawrinka vs Ilya Ivashka head-to-head

Ivashka won his lone meeting with Wawrinka in the Round of 16 at Metz five years ago. The pair have never clashed before on clay.

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Stan Wawrinka vs Ilya Ivashka head-to-head

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Stan Wawrinka	-190	-1.5 (+125)	Over 22.5 (-110)
Ilya Ivashka	+145	+1.5 (-175)	Under 22.5 (-130)

(All odds as per BETMGM)

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Stan Wawrinka vs Ilya Ivashka prediction

Ivashka has struggled this season.

Both Wawrinka and Ivashka like to dominate opponents from the back of the court and have pretty similar game styles - strong serve, powerful hitting off either flank and good movement.

However, Wawrinka - with his signature single-handed backhand and superior consistency and pedigree - especially on clay - has a distinct advantage. While the Swiss has 188 wins and seven titles, including one Roland Garros on red dirt, Ivashka is a relative greenhorn, winning only 14 of his 34 matches.

Considering the same, Wawrinka should take this one without much trouble.

Pick: Wawrinka in straight sets