It promises to be another exciting day of action at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. The third day saw Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka get knocked out by Donna Vekic. This leaves a chance for French Open champion Iga Swiatek, whose match is one of four predicted in this article. The rest of the day’s action in Dubai is predicted in a separate article, including Coco Gauff vs Karolina Pliskova.
WTA Dubai Day 4 Predictions
Marketa Vondrousova vs Liudmila Samsonova
Head-to-head: Vondrousova 1-1 Samsonova
Vondrousova came through in three sets against Peyton Stearns after a solid performance, while Samsonova received a walkover against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. That means Samsonova will be slightly fresher, although Vondrousova is a fit player, and I doubt it will be too much of a disadvantage. The relatively quick conditions at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships is what gives Samsonova the edge. They suit her powerful game slightly more than the crafty style employed by Vondrousova.
Prediction: Samsonova in 2
Elena Rybakina vs Magdalena Frech
Head-to-head: Rybakina 1-0 Frech
Last year’s Indian Wells Open champion Rybakina started slowly against the 2023 Australian Open semifinalist Victoria Azarenka. But the Belarusian began to struggle with an injury and had to retire after the second set. Frech has had a great start to the season. She reached the fourth-round at the Australian Open and has now won two matches at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. Yet, that run is likely to end here. Rybakina’s powerful game on the fast courts should overwhelm the Pole.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Donna Vekic vs Sorana Cirstea
Head-to-head: Cirstea 3-2 Cirstea
Both players will have huge confidence heading into this match. As mentioned previously, Vekic shocked Aryna Sabalenka, while Cirstea knocked out the 13th seed Veronika Kudermetova. Both players have similarly hard-hitting styles, the head-to-head is close and each also has a tendency to drop their level after a big win. Therefore, this is a very difficult contest to predict. I will back Cirstea to keep her focus a little better after the huge win Vekic got in the last round, but in truth, this is a toss-up.
Prediction: Cirstea in 3
Iga Swiatek vs Elina Svitolina
Head-to-head: Swiatek 1-1 Svitolina
This is the first time these two have met since Svitolina’s Wimbledon quarterfinal triumph against the world No. 1. It will be a bigger shock if the Ukrainian won again, since Swiatek is more comfortable on hard courts than grass. However, the fast hard courts at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships give Svitolina some chance, since Swiatek can sometimes be rushed in those conditions. I think the Pole’s class will still prevail over three sets, but it should be an entertaining match regardless.
Prediction: Swiatek in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
