Qatar Open 2025: Aryna Sabalenka vs Ekaterina Alexandrova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (1) Aryna Sabalenka vs Ekaterina Alexandrova

Date: TBD

Tournament: Qatar Open 2025

Round: Second Round (Round of 32)

Venue: Doha, Qatar

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Hardcourt

Prize Money: $3,654,963

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN

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Aryna Sabalenka vs Ekaterina Alexandrova preview

Two women who have already lifted titles this season, Aryna Sabalenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova, will clash in an exciting second-round encounter at the 2025 Qatar Open.

Sabalenka, the top seed at this year’s tournament, will be playing her first match since the Australian Open final loss to Madison Keys. The failure to complete a hat-trick aside, the 11-1 start to her season has been nothing short of stellar from the World No. 1.

Besides her six wins at the Australian Open, Sabalenka had also scored five to start her season with a title run in Brisbane. She will be keen to capitalise on the good start to the year.

Alexandrova beat Emma Raducanu in her opener. (Source: Getty)

Alexandrova, meanwhile, boasts of impressive numbers of her own. Her 6-3 win-loss for the season belies the sort of form that she has been in. After a poor start Down Under (she won only one match in Australia), the Russian found her form is currently on a six-match winning streak.

That run includes her impressive title in Linz, where she beat the likes of Dayana Yastremska and Karolina Muchova. In Dubai, she avenged her first-round Australian Open exit by taking out former Grand Slam champion Emma Raducanu in convincing fashion 6-3, 7-5.

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Aryna Sabalenka vs Ekaterina Alexandrova head-to-head

Sabalenka leads Alexandrova in their current head-to-head record stands with a slender 4-3 margin. The duo's last meeting came at the 2024 US Open, with Sabalenka winning in a topsy-turvy three-set encounter.

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Aryna Sabalenka vs Ekaterina Alexandrova odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap bets	Total Games
Aryna Sabalenka
Ekaterina Alexandrova

(Odds will be added when available)

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Aryna Sabalenka vs Ekaterina Alexandrova prediction

Sabalenka will be the favorite to win on paper. (Source: Getty)

Both Aryna Sabalenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova play the similar brand of big-hitting tennis, looking to unleash on every groundstroke. They also possess big serves that win them a fair few easy points.

Sabalenka, for one however, has learnt to channel that aggression in a more controlled manner and that has seen her surge to the top of the game. Her opponent is still prone to being patchy.

When things are clicking well, Alexandrova can run away with matches, even titles as seen during her run in Linz. The Russian, however, can also become her own biggest enemy when pushed outside her comfort zone, tending to go off kilter.

That said, Alexandrova has the game needed to push Sabalenka but the key will be to maintain her focus. Her serve has been firing of late and she is climbing the aces tally (currently at No. 12 with 28 aces just behind Sabalenka who is at No. 8 with 40).

A big part of Sabalenka's success has been her renewed mentality, as she plays the big points much better and rarely over-presses when things get tight. The first match in Doha, where conditions can be tough due to the wind, will not be easy but she knows Alexandrova well. The top seed is likely to come prepared with a gameplan on how to make her opponent uncomformtable.

This one still has all the makings of a tight affair. Alexandrova is not one to back down from her shots and can at times even surpass Sabalenka in terms of brute power, but World No. 1's mentality should hold her in good stead when the going gets tough.

Prediction: Sabalenka in three sets