WTA Dubai Open: Garbine Muguruza vs. Elise Mertens 3/12/2021 Tennis Prediction

An exciting matchup awaits as ninth seeded Garbine Muguruza of Spain faces tenth seeded Belgian Elise Mertens in the Semi-Finals of the 2021 Dubai Open WTA event. The match is scheduled to be played on Friday March 12th, 2021 at 9:00am EST. 

Both players have played extremely well here in Dubai thus far. Who will advance to the Final?

Garbine Muguruza is currently ranked #16 in the WTA rankings but is a former Grand Slam champion and world number one. After a disappointing past few years she has started 2021 well, and is building some serious momentum. So far this week she has played some fantastic tennis to defeat Amanda Anisimova, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka and will be full of confidence. After having a very strong month including reaching the Final in Qatar, she has to be considered the favorite to lift the title here in Dubai. 

Elise Mertens is currently ranked #18 in the world and has been been as high as #12. After a very impressive 2020 season where she was one of the most consistent performers, she will be aiming for a strong 2021 season to break into the top 10 for the first time. She had a very bright start to the year, claiming the Gippsland Trophy title in January. She then reached the Fourth Round at the Australian Open and has continued that form into Dubai, looking very impressive thus far. After struggling in the First Round against Viktoriya Tomova she has been outstanding, defeating Shelby Rogers and Caroline Garcia in straight sets. In the Quarter-Finals, she came up against the in-form Jessica Pegula and was inches away from defeat, as the American served for the match. Mertens showed tremendous grit to come back from the brink to win the third set 6-0. She will be full of confidence after that comeback and will back herself to advance to her first Final for the year. 

This has all the makings of a great match, and it is difficult to separate the two women. They have played once before, with Muguruza leading the head to head series 1-0. I am going to go with Garbine Muguruza to win here. She is on a great run of form, and has looked almost unstoppable so far in Dubai. Mertens has a lot of quality and will likely win a set, but expect the Spaniard to win here.