Eight first-round matches are scheduled on Day 2 of the WTA Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open. This article features former world No.2 Paula Badosa, who will take on Aliaksandra Sasnovich for the second time in her career. As always, we at LWOT will offer predictions for every match on the slate, but which players will advance to the next round?
WTA Abu Dhabi Day 2 Predictions
Cristina Bucsa vs Sonay Kartal
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Sonay Kartal has shown solid results in early events this season and played two great matches to qualify for the main draw here. She’s aggressive, powerful off the ground, and has improved her consistency on hard courts. Cristina Bucsa is a former quarterfinalist here and is looking for her second tour-level win of the season. Bucsa’s experience will give her the edge in long rallies, but if Kartal is serving well, she should be able to shorten the points. I am going with the British player in this one.
Prediction: Kartal in 3
Ashlyn Krueger vs Sara Bejlek
Head-to-Head: Krueger 2-1 Bejlek
Last year’s finalist, Ashlyn Krueger, has a lot of points to defend this week and will be looking to make a solid start. This is the rematch of this year’s Australian Open first round, where Sara Bejlek lost in straight sets. Bejlek could win only 47% of her first-serve points that day and will need to improve on it to have a chance of making this close. On hard courts, Krueger’s serve and ball striking do more damage, and Bejlek will find it hard to get momentum.
Prediction: Krueger in 3
Maya Joint vs Janice Tjen
Head-to-Head: first meeting
19-year-old Maya Joint is one of the Tour’s rising stars and has already gained valuable experience this season by playing against some top players. She will be looking to make a deep run this week and show her talent. However, it won’t be easy against Janice Tjen, who has many match wins under her belt in the last year. The transition to the main tour hasn’t been as smooth for Tjen, but she is adapting and beating Leylah Fernandez at the Australian Open was a big step. This is an intriguing first-round match, but I am leaning towards Joint.
Prediction: Joint in 3
Paula Badosa vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head-to-Head: Badosa 1-1 Sasnovich
Paula Badosa will try to build back form and get some match wins this week before heading to the bigger tournaments. At her best, Badosa brings powerful baseline tennis and aggression, which can trouble any player. Aliaksandra Sasnovich comes in as a lucky loser and will be looking to make the most of her second chance. Sasnovich made a good start to the season, but doesn’t have the weapons to cause much problems for the Spaniard. Badosa should be fresh and raring to go.
Prediction: Badosa in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
