If the tennis on Day 1 is anything to go by, then the rest of this week of WTA Premier action in Dubai is going to be something special. Day 2 brings nine more first-round matches on court.
We have previews for five of the matches below. We also look at the other four matches.
WTA Dubai Day 2 Predictions
Karolina Muchova vs Katerina Siniakova
Head-to-Head Record: First meeting
This meeting of the Czechs brings some interesting form lines into it. Whilst Muchova has won five of her last six against players from Czechia, Siniakova has lost eight of her last nine. A form line like this is often co-incidental but the number of matches that covers is fairly substantial.
Muchova also has a big advantage on matches won and, particularly, service games held on hard courts. The world #24 has held serve 13% more than Siniakova over the course of the last year on a hard surface. I think Muchova is the better player at the moment and probably the better long term prospect as well.
Prediction: Muchova in 2
Kristina Mladenovic vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head-to-Head Record: Sasnovich 4-2 Mladenovic
Though Sasnovich appears to have the clear advantage from previous meetings when you look into the details it really isn’t quite as clear cut as that. The last four matches have gone to three sets, with a lot of very close sets in there, including two tiebreaks in their last meeting on the hard courts of New Haven in 2018.
Mladenovic was very impressive in qualifying, not dropping a set in her three victories. The Frenchwoman will be looking for a successful 2020 to bring her back to the top of the game. I can see her carrying the momentum from qualifying into this match and emerging victorious in another tight match between the pair.
Prediction: Mladenovic in 3
Veronika Kudermetova vs Dayana Yastremska
Head-to-Head Record: Kudermetova 2-0 Yastremska
Despite being three years senior to her opponent, Kudermetova is the player who is climbing the rankings at this stage in her career. Yastremska had a very similar climb a year or so ago but has tapered off slightly at the moment.
Kudermetova has the better current form, the advantage in the head-to-head record and a much better record in this part of the world. I have a huge opinion of Yastremska, her attacking game is thrilling when she gets it right but she just isn’t quite in tune right now.
Prediction: Kudermetova in 2
Elina Svitolina vs Jennifer Brady
Head-to-Head Record: Svitolina 1-0 Brady
Elena Svitolina probably wishes she could play in Dubai every week. Her record here since 2016 reads SF-W-W-SF, combining to a win/loss record of 15-2. Brady has a really good 9-2 record here as well having qualified in the last two years, that’s six of the wins, but obviously at a generally lower level than the Ukranian.
Brady has excellent hard-court stats from the previous year, winning 69% of her matches on the surface. She holds serve an average of 75%, however, a number of these matches would have been in qualifying as a result of her ranking. Regardless, this shows how difficult a match the American is for anyone on a hard court.
Svitolina is elite on this surface as well though. Especially the surfaces of Dubai, as previously stated. That record cannot be ignored and Svitolina must be favoured to progress, especially as she has also won six of her last seven first-round matches.
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
Sofia Kenin vs Elena Rybakina
Head-to-Head Record: First meeting
This may be the first meeting between this pair but it’s highly unlikely to be the last. Both arrive at this tournament at the peak of the young careers. Kenin obviously arrives as Australian Open champion after that wonderful two weeks. Rybakina played in the St. Petersburg final on Sunday. Though she lost that final to Kiki Bertens (who decided to withdraw from this event) that was her biggest final to date, it was also her third consecutive WTA Tour final.
Looking at their statistics it is interesting to see that Kenin and Rybakina have both won exactly the same percentage of matches over the last twelve months on hard courts. This is sometimes where the stats can lead you wrong though because obviously Kenin has won her matches at a higher level over the year than Rybakina. As was mentioned on this week’s LWOT podcast, this time last year Rybakina was playing ITF Tour tennis.
Kenin must be a little rusty, mentally more than physically, but if you were to pick anyone from the WTA Tour to not let her triumph derail her efforts it is probably the young American. This will not be a straightforward return to action for her and the winner of this match has a chance of going a long way in Dubai. I just about favour Kenin just because of her supreme form at the moment.
Prediction: Kenin in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
