Dubai Tennis Championships 2023, Day 5: Women's singles prediction ft. Coco Gauff vs Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula vs Karolina Muchova

Day 5 of the Dubai Tennis Championships will see the women's singles quarterfinals take place. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has already booked her place in the semifinals after her last-eight opponent Karolina Pliskova withdrew from the tournament due to a viral illness.

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka will face Barbora Krejcikova while third seed Jessica Pegula will be up against Karolina Muchova. Fifth seed Coco Gauff will take on Madison Keys in an all-American clash.

So, without any further ado, let's take a look at the predictions for the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

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#1. Aryna Sabalenka vs Barbora Krejcikova

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka will take on Barbora Krejcikova in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. It will be the third meeting between the two, with Sabalenka winning both of their prior encounters.

The Belarusian has been in terrific form so far this season, winning each of her 13 matches. She entered the Dubai Tennis Championships following her triumph at the Australian Open.

Sabalenka received a bye to the second round, where she thrashed Lauren Davis 6-0, 6-1 to set up a third-round clash against defending champion Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian won the opening set 6-2 but the World No. 2 roared back into the match and took the next two sets 6-1, 6-1 to seal her place in the quarterfinals.

Barbora Krejcikova was unseeded at the Dubai Tennis Championships and started the tournament with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Irina-Camelia Begu. She then won a tense encounter 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 against seventh seed Daria Kasatkina to reach the third round.

Here, Krejcikova faced 12th seed Petra Kvitova and registered a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 win to book her place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event.

Krejcikova has done well to reach the last eight in Dubai but Sabalenka should be able to continue her unbeaten run given her current form.

Predicted Winner: Aryna Sabalenka.

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#2. Coco Gauff vs Madison Keys

Fifth seed Coco Gauff will face Madison Keys in the All-American clash at the Dubai Tennis Championships. It will be the third meeting between the two, with their head-to-head currently tied at 1-1.

Gauff has had a pretty good start to the season, winning the ASB Classic in Auckland. The teenager started the Dubai Tennis Championships with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich. She was scheduled to face Elena Rybakina in the third round but the latter withdrew because of a lower back injury.

Madison Keys suffered a third-round exit at the Australian Open, which saw her suffer a drop in the WTA rankings. However, the 28-year-old has done very well so far in Dubai.

Keys started the tournament with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-1 win over Jasmine Paolini before beating World No. 5 Caroline Garcia 7-5, 6-4 to book her place in the third round. Here, she beat the in-form Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals.

Gauff is the higher-ranked player and will be favored to win the match. However, Keys looks in good touch at present and will be in good spirits after her wins over Garcia and Azarenka. So, there's a fair chance of her beating Gauff and reaching the semifinals.

Predicted Winner: Madison Keys.

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#3. Jessica Pegula vs Karolina Muchova

Third seed Jessica Pegula will take on Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. It will be the very first meeting between the two.

Pegula has had a pretty good start to the 2023 season with 13 wins out of 15 matches so far. The 28-year-old began the Dubai Tennis Championships in the second round, beating Viktoriya Tomova 6-2, 5-7, 6-1. She faced Anna Bogdan in the third round and defeated her 6-4, 6-3 to seal her place in the quarterfinals.

Muchova has won 7 out of 10 matches so far this season and has produced some promising performances. The Czech started the Dubai Tennis Championships with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Bernarda Pera before beating Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 7-6(4) to set up a third-round clash against eighth-seeded Belinda Bencic.

Muchova produced a dominant display to beat the Swiss 6-1, 6-4 to book her place in the quarterfinals.

Pegula will enter the match as the overwhelming favorite to win but Muchova should not be written off as she has done very well lately and is capable of producing some sensational tennis when she is at her best.

Predicted Winner: Jessica Pegula.