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The season's second WTA 1000 event, the Dubai Tennis Championships 2025, will get underway from Sunday, February 16. The season's first WTA 1000 tournament concluded on Saturday, February 15, and Amanda Anisimova beat Jelena Ostapenko in the final to win the biggest title of her career.
Most of the big names have assembled in Dubai to conclude the Middle East swing. Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff had disappointing results in Doha last week, and they will aim to bounce back from that setback with a good run in Dubai. Iga Swiatek's title defense at the Qatar Open came to an end against Ostapenko in the semifinals.
All three of them, along with the remaining top eight seeds, have received a first-round bye. The first day of the tournament has 12 singles matches and six doubles matches lined up, with the likes of Emma Raducanu, Marketa Vondrousova, and Sofia Kenin headlining the day's order of play.
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On that note, here's a look at the predictions for some of the singles matches set for Day 1 of the Dubai Tennis Championships:
#1. Paula Badosa vs Lulu Sun
Following her semifinal showing at the Australian Open, her first at a Major, Badosa's form has taken a turn for the worse. She made a swift exit from the Abu Dhabi Open without winning a match, and lost to eventual champion Anisimova in the second round of last week's Qatar Open.
Luckily for Badosa, Sun has been in the middle of a rough patch for a long time. She made headlines after reaching the quarterfinals of last year's Wimbledon as a qualifier. However, she has a 1-7 record this season, and has won only one of her last 10 matches. Given her opponent's poor form, the Spaniard should be able to make a winning start to her campaign at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Predicted winner: Paula Badosa
#2. Linda Noskova vs Yulia Putintseva
Noskova had a slow start to the season, and won only one of her first four matches. However, she has garnered some momentum over the past fortnight. It all started at the Abu Dhabi Open, where she advanced to the semifinals. She then made the third round of the Qatar Open.
Putintseva reached the semifinals in Adelaide, and then the third round of the Australian Open. The Middle East swing has been rather underwhelming for her, with a 1-2 record across her time in Abu Dhabi and Doha.
Putintseva and Noskova have crossed paths twice so far. The former won their first meeting at last year's US Open in straight sets, and the latter returned the favor at last week's Qatar Open. The Czech youngster's recent uptick in form, coupled with her opponent's poor results, makes her the favorite to win this contest.
Predicted winner: Linda Noskova
#3. Belinda Bencic vs Aoi Ito
Bencic recently returned to the tour following the birth of her first child, and her comeback has gone extremely well. She reached the fourth round of the Australian Open, and later won the Abu Dhabi Open, just the fourth tournament of her comeback at the WTA level. She didn't compete in last week's Qatar Open.
Ito defeated Taylor Townsend and Ashlyn Krueger to book her spot in the main draw of the Dubai Tennis Championships. She made her WTA 1000 debut at last week's Qatar Open after qualifying for the same, and lost to Jelena Ostapenko in under an hour in the first round. She will look to avoid the same fate here as well.
Bencic won the Dubai Tennis Championships back in 2019, and beat four top 10 players en route to the title. Given her current form, she should be able to begin her quest for a second title here with a comfortable win over Ito.
Predicted winner: Belinda Bencic
#4. Karolina Muchova vs Suzan Lamens
Muchova started the year by leading Czechia to the semifinals of the United Cup. She won two of her four singles ties, with her losses coming against Swiatek and Gauff. The Australian Open was a letdown for her as she was eliminated by Naomi Osaka in the second round.
Muchova had a resurgence at the Linz Open with a semifinal finish, though she picked up an injury that forced her to skip the Qatar Open. She has competed at the Dubai Tennis Championships only once in her career, and advanced to the quarterfinals in her sole appearance in 2023.
Lamens scored wins over Daria Saville and Zhang Shuai to qualify for the main draw of the Dubai Tennis Championships. This will be debut at the tournament. She has four main draw wins to her name this year.
Lamens lost both of her previous matches against top 20 players, and has never won a match at the WTA 1000 level. Muchova will be the firm favorite to advance to the next round given their respective track records, provided that she's fully fit after her recent injury concern.
Predicted winner: Karolina Muchova
