Day 3 of the first WTA 1000 of the season will see some major players such as Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek enter the tournament after receiving a bye. As always, we here at LWOT will preview and predict every match. Who do you think will win?
WTA Dubai Day 3 Predictions
Qinwen Zheng vs Liudmila Samsonova
Head-to-head: Samsonova 2-1 Zheng
Rematch of the Abu Dhabi semifinals from two weeks ago in the second round here. Zheng fell to three sets to Maria Sakkari in her Doha opener but dropped just four games to Zhang Shuai in the first round here. Samsonova held three match points over Belinda Bencic in the Abu Dhabi final but failed to convert and won just four games against Sofia Kenin in Doha. She got a hard-fought win over Paula Badosa in her Dubai opener but I see Zheng taking her revenge here.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
Coco Gauff vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head-to-head: first meeting
Gauff, 9-2 in 2023 after she got her third career title in Auckland, has a good chance to shorten the 900 points gap between her and the Top 5. The 18-year-old beat Petra Kvitova and lost to Veronika Kudermetova last week. Sasnovich was 2-5 coming into the week, one of those wins being over Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The Belarusian came back from a set down against Rebeka Masarova in her Dubai opener. Gauff should be the favorite here but Sasnovich could challenge her if she plays her best.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Karolina Pliskova vs Maria Sakkari
Head-to-head: Pliskova 2-2 Sakkari
Fifth match between Pliskova and Sakkari after their first meeting in Rome in 2018 became infamous for the Czech breaking her racquet against the umpire’s chair after a controversial line call. Pliskova won their most recent meeting, beating Sakkari in Toronto last year. The Greek is in better form coming in though, reaching the semifinals in Doha last week. Both players currently sit on 11 wins, though three of those came in Doha qualifying for Pliskova. The Czech beat her countrywoman Marketa Vondrousova in straights in her Dubai opener. I expect a good match here with Sakkari coming out as the winner.
Prediction: Sakkari in 3
Aryna Sabalenka vs Lauren Davis
Head-to-head: Sabalenka 1-0 Davis
After the havoc Iga Swiatek wreaked on the field in Doha, eyes turn to Sabalenka as potentially the only player who can stop her at the moment. The World No. 2 is playing her first tournament since she debuted her improved serve in Australia, which brought her her first slam title. Davis, who is having a very good year herself as she won her first WTA title since 2017 in Hobart, will be a good opponent to test Sabalenka in her opener, making the Belarusian play. I expect Sabalenka to clear this first hurdle easily though
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
