There are five singles Round matches on the schedule of Day 1 of the 2022 WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. With a field of such high quality, we’re already in for a couple of blockbusters. Who do you think will prevail?
WTA Dubai Day 1 Predictions
Barbora Krejcikova vs Caroline Garcia
Head-to-head: Krejcikova 2-1
While the former World No. 4 undoubtedly has the ceiling to battle against Barbora Krejcikova, she’s very rarely able to bring her peak performance to the court these days. Even the history of this matchup shows it–Caroline Garcia won in Strasbourg five years ago, while the Czech claimed both recent meetings. In Sydney this year, Krejcikova gave her opponent just two games. It’s unlikely to be this straightforward again but the all-rounded and extremely solid Czech should have enough to emerge on top again.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 2
Alison Riske vs Simona Halep
Head-to-head: Halep 3-0
Simona Halep was the in-form player going into the Australian Open, but lost to Alize Cornet in some of the worst heat of the fortnight. Will the Romanian be able to bounce back? Alison Riske has also found some form recently with a final at Adelaide and a title at Linz, but she’s never managed to defeat Halep in their three previous meetings. Hitting through the Romanian from the back of the court is a real challenge, even at this stage of her career.
Prediction: Halep in 2
Cori Gauff vs Jessica Pegula
Head-to-head: First meeting
Jessica Pegula had a great campaign at the Australian Open, losing to the eventual champion, Ashleigh Barty, in the quarterfinals. Cori Gauff suffered a disappointing opening-round loss, which might make her more determined to make up for it. While they’ve never played each other before, Pegula might be a bit of a nasty matchup for the youngster. While the older of the Americans doesn’t have the punch of her compatriot, her counter-punching game might just be able to expose Gauff’s forehand liabilities.
Prediction: Pegula in 3
Daria Kasatkina vs Iga Swiatek
Head-to-head: 1-1
This one has the potential to be awesome. Their match at the Australian Open was deceptively straightforward for Iga Swiatek as she was just much better at converting her chances. The Pole never really played her best though and got a tough beating from a peaking Danielle Collins in the semifinals. With both players not having played since Melbourne, this one is quite tough to predict. The faster conditions in Dubai might favor Kasatkina a bit as Swiatek’s forehand is usually more effective on higher-bouncing surfaces.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 3
Petra Kvitova vs Camila Giorgi
Head-to-head: Giorgi 2-1
Neither player has been particularly convincing in 2022 in the past, but while Camila Giorgi performed more or less near her usual standards, Petra Kvitova has disappointed. In most matches, the Czech is merely a shadow of the player she once was. Giorgi defeated her in Montreal last year, on the way to the biggest title of her career. Her style definitely fits the courts in Dubai and while Kvitova’s once did too, I’m not sure the Czech is going to be able to capitalize on it as much as she would back in the day.
Prediction: Giorgi in 3
Main Photo from Getty.
