Petra Martić vs Naomi Osaka Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Finals

Prediction published on 13/02/2024, 05:24  by Nella Wagah in Tennis Predictions

Naomi Osaka will seek to win back-to-back matches for the first time this season when she battles Petra Martic in Doha. The winner of this second-rounder will then set up a third-round showdown with either Ons Jabeur or Lesia Tsurenko. Petra Martic overcame the challenge of Arantxa Rus in the first round to advance to this round for the first time. She had to dig deep to win in three sets with the match lasting for two hours and 56 minutes. It was her fourth first-round tie in Doha and the first in which she had won. The Croat has now tied her record for the season at 3-3 and has moved up to 61st in the live ranking. All her wins have been earned on hard courts where she is currently 3-2.

Osaka is having a slow return to the tour after a year and a half away. She has so far lost three of five matches with all five matches being played on hard courts. The former world number one, who is ranked outside the WTA top 400, hasn’t yet won two matches in a row. She registered her first win in her first match back and then followed this up with three successive defeats. The Japanese athlete put a halt to this skid with a straight-sets victory over Caroline Garcia in the first round here. Garcia had defeated her earlier in the season in Melbourne and she was eager for revenge. It shows that the fighting spirit is still there for the 26-year-old. Osaka, who is making her second appearance in Doha, defeated Martic in their only other encounter 10 years ago. The win over Garcia has catapulted Osaka a massive 258 places to 489th in the live ranking.