Lauren Davis vs Aryna Sabalenka Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Dubai Tennis Championships

Prediction published on 20/02/2023, 16:22  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 20/02/2023 at 17:35 in Tennis Predictions

Aryna Sabalenka plays her first match since becoming Australian Open champion. The Belarusian is the second seed for the Dubai Tennis Championships and faces unseeded Lauren Davis in the second round, having received a bye in round one. This is an outdoor hard court tournament, the same surface on which Sabalenka won her maiden Grand Slam title. Sabalenka is the world number two but still a long way behind Iga Swiatek. However, the 24-year-old is top of the live WTA Race. Sabalenka has only played two tournaments this year but won both in Adelaide and Melbourne. Not just that but Sabalenka has only dropped one set. That was in the Australian Open final to Elena Rybakina.

Lauren Davis has already lost three sets in this tournament. The American had to go through the qualifying rounds and after one win, lost in straight sets to Dayana Yastremska. Thanks to players withdrawing, Davis became a Lucky Loser and entered the main draw. Round one saw her beat Jil Teichmann in three sets, losing the middle one. Davis began this tournament ranked 49th but 17th in the Live WTA Race. That’s mainly due to her winning the Hobart International in January as a qualifier. Seven matches were won that week without dropping a single set. However, the highest ranked player beaten was Sloane Stephens who was 36th that week. Since that title, Davis has reached the second round in the Australian Open (losing to Elise Mertens) and losing in the qualifying rounds in Doha last week, retiring when one-set all and 1-2 down in the third set against Viktorija Tomova. There’s only been one previous match against Sabalenka and that was six years ago with the Belarusian winning in straight sets. A similar result looks likely here.