WTA Dubai Open: Elina Svitolina vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova 3/9/2021 Tennis Prediction

Top seeded Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine faces unseeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Second Round of the 2021 Dubai Open WTA Event. The match is scheduled to be played on Tuesday March 9th, 2021 at 6:30am EST. This will be the sixth meeting between the two players with Svitolina leading the head to head series 4-1. 

Elina Svitolina is currently ranked #5 in the world but has endured a mixed start to the year. She reached the Quarter-Finals in Abu Dhabi, Melbourne and Doha but that is not good enough for a top 5 player and she will be disappointed at her season thus far. She will be aiming to have a strong showing this week in Dubai and has been handed a relatively good draw, receiving a bye and now facing the experienced campaigner in Kuznetsova. Svitolina has a very aggressive baseline game and these courts will suit her style perfectly. She is prone to “meltdowns” and losing matches from comfortable positions, so will be looking to avoid that here. She is the heavy favorite to win here and claim the title. 

Svetlana Kuznetsova is a former world number 2, who at age 35 is still playing some high quality tennis. Now ranked a respectable #44, she is no longer the force she once was but is still a very dangerous opponent to meet in these lower-level WTA events. She is a fantastic mover, and while she lacks power at this stage in her career, she makes up for it by being very smart tactically. She is the underdog here by some margin but if Svitolina is not fully focused and at her best she could be in for a real test here. Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Qiang Wang in the First Round here in three sets to set up this match. 

While Elina Svitolina has not gotten off to the start she would have liked in 2021, she still has more than enough quality to get the win here, and should be backed to go deep into this tournament. She is one of the best players in the world and thrives at these types of events. Kuznetsova is good enough to give her a run for her money, but expect Elina Svitolina to come through this match in straight sets.