At 36, Italian tennis star Sara Errani is one of the most senior players on the WTA Tour. She has played consistently at the top level for over a decade now. Along with singles, Errani has also excelled in doubles. She is in Indian Wells where she is playing in the BNP Paribas Open. In order to make it to the main draw, Errani has to pass through the qualifying rounds and is just a win away.

Sara Errani will take on Australia’s Arina Rodionova in the final qualifying round. It promises to be a close contest as both players will be vying up for the main draw spot. Let’s dig deep into who has a better chance of winning this contest.

Sara Errani vs Arina Rodionova: Comparing their form

Errani entered the tournament in not the greatest of forms of late. Despite winning a doubles title at the Linz Open, Errani hasn’t had the best of times on the singles front. Her best performance in singles came at the Winners Open, where she reached the quarterfinals. Further, in the opening qualifying round in Indian Wells, Errani got the better of Aleksandra Krunic in straight sets.

Similarly, Rodionova is also not in the best of forms lately. She entered Indian Wells on a four-match losing streak. Her best result this year was a quarterfinal appearance at Hua Hin. Rodionova began her Indian Wells campaign with a straight-set victory over Dalma Galfi. Given the similarities in their form and recent results, it promises to be a close encounter between them that could go either way.

Errani vs Rodionova: Head-to-Head

While Errani is ranked 100 on the WTA Tour, Rodionova lies just outside the top 100. Only four spots separate Sara Errani and Rodionova as the latter is placed in the 104th spot on the WTA rankings chart. Despite the closeness of their rankings and both of them being on the tour for long, they haven’t faced each other yet on the WTA Tour. The second-round qualifying match at Indian Wells will be their first encounter against each other.

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Prediction: Errani will have the upper hand

As they haven’t played each other before, it is set to be an exciting encounter that could go either way. However, Errani’s experience might come to the fore and she is predicted to win the match in three sets. Their match will take place tomorrow at around 3pm EST. Who are you betting on to make it to the Indian Wells Main Draw?