The first WTA 1000 event of the season kicks off in Doha with some mouth-watering encounters as the elite of the women’s sport attempt to dethrone Iga Swiatek, who has won the last three championships. Who will advance? We have predictions for every WTA Doha Open match.
WTA Doha Day 1 Predictions Including Diana Shnaider vs Alycia Parks
Anna Kalinskaya vs Cristina Bucsa
Head–to–Head: Kalinskaya 2 vs 0 Bucsa
Anna Kalinskaya had a torrid start to the season after losing both first-round matches at Brisbane and Adelaide before withdrawing from the Australian Open. She did string together a couple of wins to make it to the semifinal in Singapore before retiring again to runner-up Ann Li.
Cristina Bucsa showed the defensive side of her game and perhaps more resilience to make it into the main draw here in Doha. While she can make this a difficult encounter for the Russians, Kalinskaya has been dominant in their previous meetings, and even though she might not hit full gear, she will still have enough to outmuscle her opponent and advance to the next round.
Prediction: Kalinskaya in 3.
Liudmila Samsonova vs Lulu Sun
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Liudmila Samsonova will be looking to secure her first-round win here in Doha after three unsuccessful attempts to make it past the first hurdle. She is, however, capable of putting together a winning streak, as she showed at different intervals last season.
Lulu Sun, on the other hand, hadn’t won in seven matches before landing in the Middle East, earning a confident win over Caroline Garcia before being deflated by Leylah Fernandez in the second run in Singapore,
Sun has defeated three top 30 players, and I think she’s beginning to find her rhythm again despite the loss to Fernandez. She has all the weapons to neutralize Samsonova, who isn’t firing on all cylinders. Give me the Kiwi to make this game close and eke out a win.
Prediction: Sun in 3.
Marta Kostyuk vs Zeynep Sonmez
Head–to–Head: First Meeting
Unseeded Marta Kostyuk is undoubtedly the more experienced player in this matchup against Turkish wildcard Zeynep Somnez. However, she hasn’t passed the second round in her previous attempts.
After debuting in the top #100, Sonmez has won only four of her nine matches this year, all coming during qualifying rounds. This marks only her second main draw appearance this year after Talia Gibson defeated her in three sets.
While they’re both 22, Kostyuk has far more weapons and experience to write a new script. I wouldn’t be surprised if she make a deep run in Doha.
Prediction: Kostyuk in 2.
Diana Shnaider vs Alycia Parks
Head–to–Head: Parks 0 vs 1 Shnaider
Diana Shnaider heads into this second meeting with Alicia Park in more potent form, having bagged nine wins in her last 12 matches, including victories over Ajla Tomljanovic and Elisabetta Cocciaretto at the Australian Open.
On the other hand, Parks has had mixed results this season, with the highlight so far being the quarterfinal run in Auckland notable wins against players like Naomi Osaka and Olga Danilovic earlier this year.
Parks has only won seven tour-level main draw matches in over a year, and she’ll likely extend that abysmal record against the in-form Russian.
Prediction: Schnaider in 2.
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
