The remainder of the first round matches in Dubai will be played on Monday along with the first of the second round matches, which will see 17-year-old, Belinda Bencic go up against the number eight seed, Venus Williams. Bencic won her first WTA main draw match of the year with a straight sets win over Karin Knapp, 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 21 minutes. It wasn’t the most convincing of performances from Bencic, but a win is a win and it should have been a welcome confidence boost. Bencic saved a break point to serve out the first set. She quickly went up a break in the second set, but was pegged back. In a crucial game at 4-4, Knapp folded and Bencic was able to serve out the match. It’s been a tough start to the year for Bencic, who lost her opening three WTA matches of the year. After such a brilliant 2014, there is a great deal of expectation upon her shoulders…
Venus had a bye in the first round and will come into this tournament off the back of a quarter-final run in Melbourne. Venus has won fifteen consecutive matches in Dubai with title runs in 2009, 2010 and 2014. In fact, Venus has not dropped a set in her last two visits to Dubai and she was in sparkling form last year, taking out the likes of Ana Ivanovic, Flavia Pennetta, Caroline Wozniacki and Alize Cornet. Venus leads the head-to-head with Bencic 2-0 with straight set wins in Luxembourg (6-3 6-1, 2012) and Roland Garros (6-4 6-1, 2014). As much as i’m on the Belinda bandwagon, she does have the habit of getting swallowed up against some of the more powerful hitters. In 2014, she suffered a string of straight set losses to top ten players where she didn’t provide a great deal of resistance. Venus loves Dubai and will be suitably refreshed… this could be a tough evening for Belinda.
Prediction: V.Williams d. Bencic in 2 sets
Jimmie48 is already in Dubai and took a cracking snap of Alize Cornet in what was one of the most dramatic and hilarious matches of the year so far against Kirsten Flipkens. Last year’s finalist, Cornet prevailed in the end, 6-0 6-7 6-3 after a second set that lasted over 100 minutes!
Moo's Tennis Blog 
Pliskova ended up drawing Pavlyuchenkova, I see- what an interesting match that could be if they both show up. Interest fact about Anastasia is that last year she recorded more wins over top 10 players than Radwanska, Cibulkova, Kerber and Kvitova, and as many as Wozniacki and Bouchard.
LikeLike
It depends whether pliskova does bring her pistol service games along with her or not.
LikeLike
Well she ought to be ashamed if she doesn’t, because this court is made for players like her
LikeLike
Venus is on fire, as she always seems to be, in Dubai. Bencic has actually played a really good match herself, but it’s just too much to ask for her to get the better of someone with the power, experience and quality of Venus Williams in these conditions at this stage in her career. Venus will take some stopping this week.
LikeLike