Qatar Open 2022: Paula Badosa vs Clara Tauson preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (3) Paula Badosa vs Clara Tauson.

Tournament: Qatar Open.

Round: Second round (Round of 32).

Venue: Doha, Qatar.

Category: WTA 1000.

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.

Prize money: $2,331,698.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.

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Paula Badosa vs Clara Tauson preview

Badosa at the 2022 Sydney Tennis Classic.

Third seed Paula Badosa will take on Denmark's Clara Tauson in the second round of the 2022 Qatar Open.

Badosa was upset in the first round of the Dubai Open by Elena-Gabriela Ruse last week. After losing the first set, she won the next one after her opponent failed to serve out the match. The Spaniard led 4-1 in the deciding set, but lost the next five games to lose the match.

Badosa played quite well this year prior to this loss. She won her third career title at the Sydney Tennis Classic, defeating reigning Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova in the final. She also made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open.

The 24-year-old will look to rebound from her disappointing loss in Dubai by performing well here.

Tauson at the 2022 Australian Open.

Clara Tauson scored an upset win over Belinda Bencic in the first round to clinch her maiden WTA 1000 victory at the 2022 Qatar Open. The Danish teenager defeated her much-experienced opponent 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to make a memorable debut at the tournament.

Tauson started the year by reaching the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Summer Set. In her maiden main draw appearance at the Australian Open, she secured the biggest win of her career by defeating sixth seed Anett Kontaveit in the second round.

She then lost a closely contested three-set match against eventual runner-up Danielle Collins in the third round.

Tauson has been labeled as the next big thing in women's tennis for a while now, and she's slowly displaying the full extent of her potential this year.

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Paula Badosa vs Clara Tauson head-to-head

Tauson leads the head-to-head against Badosa 1-0, having won their solitary meeting at the 2021 Lyon Open 7-5, 6-1.

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Paula Badosa vs Clara Tauson prediction

Badosa at the 2022 Australian Open.

Both players will step on the court with the intention to dictate the proceedings from the very first point. They also possess a pretty good serve and have powerful groundstrokes.

Tauson's stats in her first-round win were quite solid. She hit eight aces and had just one double fault. She also hit 23 winners, compared to 19 unforced errors in a measured performance. However, one aspect of her game was exposed by Bencic. The teenager still isn't the greatest mover around the court.

Badosa, on the other hand, has excellent court coverage and footwork. The Spaniard's defensive capablitiies could give her the upper hand in this contest, which would be enough for her to secure a win.

Prediction: Paula Badosa to win in three sets.