Dubai Tennis Championships 2025: Amanda Anisimova vs McCartney Kessler preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: Amanda Anisimova vs McCartney Kessler

Date: February 17, 2025

Tournament: 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships

Round: First round (Round of 64)

Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Hard (Outdoor)

Prize Money: $3,654,963

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports

Amanda Anisimova vs McCartney Kessler preview

Amanda Anisimova of the United States poses with the trophy after defeating Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during the WTA Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2025 - Source: Getty

Qatar Open champion Amanda Anisimova will face her compatriot McCartney Kessler in the first round of the Dubai Open Championships on Monday, 17 February.

23-year-old Anisimova will break into the Top 20 of the WTA Rankings for the first time when the rankings are updated on Monday. She defeated Victoria Azarenka, Paula Badosa, Leylah Fernandez, Marta Kostyuk, Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Jelena Ostapenko on her way to winning the title in Doha.

Anisimova has a 9-2 win-loss record in 2025, as she suffered losses against Alycia Parks in the first round of the ASB Classic in Auckland and against Emma Raducanu in the second round of the Australian Open.

On the other hand, World No. 55 Kessler has also won a title in 2025; last month, she won the Hobart International, but since then she has lost three consecutive main draw matches.

Last week, 25-year-old Kessler was outplayed by Ons Jabeur 2-6, 0-6 in the first round of the Qatar Open in Doha. In Abu Dhabi, she qualified for the main draw, but was beaten by her compatriot Ashlyn Krueger in three sets.

McCartney Kessler of the United States competes in her round of 64 match against Ons Jabeur of Tunisia during the WTA Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2025 - Source: Getty

Amanda Anisimova vs McCartney Kessler head-to-head

Amanda Anisimova and McCartney Kessler have never met on the WTA Tour in the past.

Amanda Anisimova vs McCartney Kessler odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap bets	Total games
Amanda Anisimova	-295	-1.5 (-118)	Over 20.5 (-130)
McCartney Kessler	+220	+1.5 (-120)	Under 20.5 (-110)

All odds sourced from BETMGM.

Amanda Anisimova vs McCartney Kessler prediction

Amanda Anisimova is making her fourth main draw appearance at the Dubai Open. She lost in the first round on her debut at the event in 2020 and managed to reach the second round in 2021 and 2023.

She will face another American, Coco Gauff in the second round, as the third seed received a bye in the first round. She would want to make a statement by beating McCartney convincingly, so that she stays fresh before the big match.

McCartney Kessler is making her debut at the Dubai Open. She has not won a match in any WTA 1000 tournament in her career so far, and considering Anisimova's form, she would need some luck to earn her maiden WTA 1000 match win.

Kessler won two WTA titles, but she did not beat any Top 20 player at either of the events. She would be hoping that Anisimova is fatigued after some close matches in Doha, so that she can take advantage if the match goes long.

Pick: Amanda Anisimova to win in straight sets