After an excellent week of tennis at the WTA Dubai Open, only two players remain in contention for the trophy. World #3 Petra Kvitova, who earlier this season reached the Australian Open final as well as winning the Sydney International, will take on former world #7 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, who has scored some superb wins en route to the final, her first at Premier-level since she lost to Roberta Vinci in St Petersburg in 2016. But who will come out on top?
This will be the fourth meeting between Kvitova and Bencic in a head-to-head the Czech leads 3-0. Their first clash came in 2013 in the round of 32 in Tokyo, with Kvitova claiming a hard-fought 6-4 7-5 win over the Swiss. She backed that victory up by defeating Bencic, 6-2 6-4, last year in the Fed Cup. Their rivalry was renewed earlier this year at the Australian Open in the third round, where Kvitova won 6-1 6-4 and, as mentioned above, went on to reach the final.
Kvitova, after a first-round bye, began her Dubai campaign against her countrywoman Katerina Siniakova. It proved to be a tough test for Kvitova, but she scraped through to the third-round with a 6-7 6-4 6-4 win. She was again taken the distance in the third round, but Kvitova managed to overcome the American qualifier Jennifer Brady 7-5 1-6 6-3. Then, in the quarterfinals, she delivered a commanding performance to oust Viktoria Kuzmova for the loss of just four games before battling past Su-Wei Hseih, 3-6 6-2 6-4.
Bencic, unseeded, began her tournament with a 6-4 7-6 win over Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic. That set up a second-round clash with her compatriot Stefanie Vogele. Bencic dominated from first point to last and was rewarded with a 6-1 6-1 win and a place in the third round. There she edged Aryna Sabalenka, saving six match points en route to a 6-4 2-6 7-6 win. She then rallied past world #2 Simona Halep, 4-6 6-4 6-2 before outlasting Elina Svitolina 6-2 3-6 7-6 to reach the final.
This match should provide an entertaining contrast between the aggressive, first-strike tennis of Petra Kvitova and the more measured approach typically employed by Bencic. That is not to say that the Swiss does not have power. She is well-capable of hitting through opponents with her groundstrokes having been struck exceptionally cleanly all week. However, she does lack a stand out weapon to match the Kvitova forehand, which could just prove a decisive disadvantage for Bencic.
Kvitova in three
Main photo:
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