It’s day two at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships and there should be plenty of entertaining action from the UAE. There are 12 first-round matches on the schedule in Dubai, and as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match, including Victoria Azarenka vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Karolina Pliskova vs Marketa Vondrousova. But who will advance?
WTA Dubai Day 2 Predictions
Laura Siegemund vs Ana Bogdan
Head-to-head: first meeting
Laura Siegemund is not the player she once was, but you cannot fault the effort. Even at 34, she can conjure some magic with her unorthodox style of play. She was good enough to escape the shackles of Claire Liu in the final round of qualifying and has a winnable opener against fellow qualifier Ana Bogdan. The Romanian has had a stronger qualifying campaign against slightly tougher opposition. That probably gives her a small edge, but this could be anyone’s match.
Prediction: Bogdan in 3
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Anastasia Potapova vs Jil Teichmann
Head-to-head: Potapova 3-0 Teichmann
Anastasia Potapova has dominated Jil Teichmann right from the ITF circuit. The Russian is rapidly improving and won her second career title in Linz a week ago. She arrives in Dubai fit and firing after taking a well-deserved break last week after her efforts in Austria. But if her recent record is anything to go by, then she is at her most vulnerable in first-round matches. Teichmann has fared dismally since the turn of the year, failing to win back-to-back main draw matches at any tournament. The Swiss southpaw’s offense can hurt Potapova, but she is not playing at her free-flowing best.
Prediction: Potapova in 3
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Rebeka Masarova vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head-to-head: first meeting
Aliaksandra Sasnovich has played in fewer matches than Rebeka Masarova which explains why she hasn’t found her rhythm in the current campaign. The Belarusian has tallied just one main draw win all season. Masarova, by contrast, is motoring with 14 wins in 18 matches. That run includes a runner-up finish in Auckland last month. This could be first-strike tennis and right now the 23-year-old Spaniard looks more assured to pick up another win.
Prediction: Masarova in 2
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Elena Rybakina vs Bianca Andreescu
Head-to-head: Rybakina 1-0 Andreescu
This is a marquee match featuring Grand Slam winners in the first round of a WTA 1000. But truthfully it might not even live up to the lofty expectations. Injuries continue to hold back Bianca Andreescu. She is taking too many small steps forward for every giant backward step. And if the Canadian was looking for a stroke of luck in terms of the draw, then she won’t get one here. Elena Rybakina continues to set the tennis world alight with her consistency and that serve is a metronome in her game that is not easily penetrable. Andreescu’s hustle could keep this close, but Rybakina’s class should shine.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
Main photo credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
