Leylah Annie Fernandez vs Jasmine Paolini Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Dubai Tennis Championships

Prediction published on 19/02/2024, 06:30  by Nella Wagah | Modified on 19/02/2024 at 06:30 in Tennis Predictions

World number 33 Leylah Fernandez and world number 26 Jasmine Paolini will fight it out in the second round in Dubai. The winner will then set up a third-round showdown with either Emma Navarro or Maria Sakkari. Leylah Fernandez has won all three previous meetings with Paolini. Last season she defeated her twice with the more recent victory coming last November in the Billie Jean Cup. She therefore should be confident of progressing past this round for the first time. The Canadian defeated Bernarda Pera in straight sets in the first round to earn her sixth win in nine outings this year. She is now up three places to 30th in the live ranking.

Jasmine Paolini has also boosted her world ranking and is up one place to 25th place. She defeated 11th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in three sets in the first round. The win was her first main draw victory in this WTA 1000 event. Paolini made her main draw debut in Dubai last season but she had twice participated in the qualifying rounds. She has now tied her season record at 5-5 with all five of her wins coming on hard courts. The 28-year-old had lost three successive matches before arriving in Dubai. Her best result so far and the majority of her wins came in her run to the fourth round in Melbourne.