Dubai Tennis Championships 2021: Petra Kvitova vs Jil Teichmann preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (4) Petra Kvitova vs Jil Teichmann

Date: 9 March 2021

Tournament: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2021

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $1,835,490

Match timing: Not before 7 pm local time, 8.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Petra Kvitova vs Jil Teichmann preview

Petra Kvitova will start her 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships campaign with a second-round encounter against Switzerland's Jil Teichmann on Tuesday.

Kvitova, who turned 31 on Monday, was recently crowned the champion in Doha and she enters this contest high on confidence. A former winner in Dubai too, the Czech will look to repeat the result from 2013 - when she clinched the title for the loss of just one set throughout the week.

Jil Teichmann

Meanwhile, Jil Teichmann has already won a match in Dubai, dismissing Ukraine's Katarina Zavatska in the opening round. That has helped the 23-year-old improve her 2021 win-loss record to 9-4.

Having dropped her first two matches of the year to Coco Gauff, Teichmann has finally managed to flip the script. The Swiss has made the quarterfinals and the semifinals in her last two outings.

Teichmann has a powerful game which is tailor-made for hardcourts, and she could well prove to be a tricky opponent for Kvitova.

Petra Kvitova vs Jil Teichmann head-to-head

Petra Kvitova was recently crowned the champion in Doha.

This second-round encounter is set to be the first career meeting between Petra Kvitova and Jil Teichmann, so their current head-to-head stands at a 0-0 deadlock.

Petra Kvitova vs Jil Teichmann prediction

Petra Kvitova's win in Doha would have come as a huge morale booster ahead of the Dubai Tennis Championships, which has similar playing conditions.

The Czech enters this contest as the firm favorite on paper, but will need to be careful against an opponent who has been playing some solid tennis herself. Jil Teichmann's record this year includes wins over the likes of Marie Bouzkova and Anastasija Sevastova, and she has shown that her game can trouble even the best players.

This match is likely to be a tussle for control of the baseline, with both women having a solid backcourt game. Kvitova was terrific on return throughout the week in Doha, and will look to put pressure on the Swiss player's serve right away.

If she can come out on top in the early exchanges, Kvitova might run away with the rest of the match. The Czech definitely has the firepower to come through this encounter, but she has to remain focused throughout.

Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in two tight sets.