Doha Scores – 14 / 18 (78%)
WTA Doha Final Prediction for Saturday
Day 6 – 1/1
Pliskova d. Wozniacki in 3 sets – Thoughts about the final in latest Set Points article
WTA Doha Final Poll for Saturday
WTA Doha QF Predictions for Friday
Day 5 – 2/2
Wozniacki d. Davis in 2 sets – I was impressed with what I saw of Wozniacki in her match against Radwanska. Davis has been superb this year but i’d still take a rock-solid Wozniacki coming through this match.
Pliskova d. Zhang in 2 sets – Pliskova’s looking great this year and she navigated her way past a very tricky second rounder against Garcia. I actually watched their last encounter at the French Open live where Pliskova beat Zhang in two tight. Despite the Chinese player being dangerous with a game that can catch a not streak, I have a lot of faith in Pliskova right now.
WTA Doha R2 Predictions for Thursday
Day 4 – 2/4
Kerber d. Kasatkina in 2 sets – Sticking with my initial hunch on this match despite Kasatkina scoring a confidence-boosting first round win over Begu. I just have a feeling that Kerber will start to find her game again this week.
Wozniacki d. Radwanska in 3 sets – Radwanska and rain weren’t a match made in heaven in 2016! On the fence with this match to be honest with not much insight. Again, it’s one of those feelings!
Strycova d. Stosur in 3 sets – I was actually nearly finished with a preview of this match but I didn’t have time to post it at lunch. Here’s what I wrote in the final thoughts…
Before this week I would have given Strycova the nod in this match-up without any hesitation whatsoever. Having watched Stosur’s first round win over Sevastova in what was a very solid display, i’m not quite as dismissive. Stosur was using her serve and forehand effectively against Sevastova, especially the latter which became more potent as the match wore on. Strycova had a comfortable opening round win but still may be fatigued following the Fed Cup weekend.
Ultimately, i’m still going for Strycova but i’d expect it to be at least a tight two setter with three sets likely, in my opinion. The edge for me is with Strycova who, while losing her concentration from time-to-time, has become a very reliable player on tour, compared to Stosur who is prone to more frequent lapses in concentration.
Pliskova d. Garcia in 3 sets – I can’t believe the world number three is out on court 3 but then again, they had no other choice with Strycova-Stosur and Vesnina-Davis both already underway. Garcia has been a dangerous match-up for Pliskova in the past and with these funky conditions, there may be an opening for the Frenchwoman if Pliskova’s focus drops. I was tempted to go for the upset but i’ve stuck safe in the end as I do think Pliskova will want to erase the memories of that Gasparyan match from last year.
WTA Doha R1 Predictions for Wednesday
Day 3 – 8/9
Muguruza d. Buyukakcay in 2 sets – A tough turnaround for Muguruza after Fed Cup but I think she will be OK. Buyukakcay hasn’t won a singles match in 2017 and has lost her last five matches on the WTA tour.
Puig d. Siegemund in 2 sets – Their last match was at the Olympics where Puig won, 6-1 6-1! Puig has laboured since the Olympics and to be honest, it is understandable with the sudden increase of media she has dealt with. Siegemund pulled out of Fed Cup doubles with an injury and had an absolute bitch of a flight from Hawaii to Doha! Stranger things have happened but it will be a tough one for Siegemund.
Putintseva d. Bacsinszky in 2 sets – Hate going against Bacsinszky but honestly, I think it will be a tall order to recover from her exploits of Fed Cup. I think it’s generally a good match up for Bacsinszky but Putintseva has been playing very well of late. Prove me wrong, Timea!
Vesnina d. McHale in 3 sets – On the fence, Vesnina leads the head-to-head, 2-1 and their last two matches have both gone the distance. Vesnina played some good stuff in St. Petersburg so giving her a slight edge despite McHale having won three matches in qualifying.
Babos d. Zhang in 3 sets – Zhang won their last match in Zhuhai at the end of 2016, 7-6(2) 6-4. Babos hasn’t won a match on the WTA tour this year but picked up a couple of big wins in Fed Cup including one over Ana Konjuh. I think these results could be key and produce a bit of a snowball effect for Babos.
Strycova d. Al Nabhani in 2 sets – Strycova for the win.
Davis d. Vinci in 3 sets – I had Vinci to the quarter-finals in my draw but i’ve been tempted to go for Davis who has been in excellent form all year. Vinci is a match-up kind of player in that some players just struggle with her game. The pair have never played before so it’s difficult to gauge this one.
Garcia d. Brengle in 3 sets – A classic big hitter vs. counter puncher match-up and i’m befuddled trying to choose! Brengle had solid wins in qualifying over Kovinic, Kr. Pliskova and Zheng Saisai. I’ve had a good vibe from Garcia this year but was disappointed by her last match, a straight sets loss to Minella in Taipei City. Brengle is the type of player that can just keep forcing errors so this will mostly come down to Garcia. The court seems quite slow but I think Garcia will have the power to hit through. I’m going to go for Garcia with a come-from-behind win, working her way through the match. We’ll see…
Kasatkina d. Begu in 2 sets – This is one of those match-ups that make me a little nervous! Everything points to Kasatkina having won comfortably in Brisbane and Begu playing well below her best so far in 2017.
Wozniacki d. Bertens in 2 sets – I’m not convinced by Berten’s recent form so Wozniacki for the win.
WTA Doha R1 Polls for Wednesday
WTA Doha R1 Predictions for Tuesday
Day 2 – 1/1
Pavlyuchenkova d. Jankovic in 3 sets – Jankovic came through three rounds of qualifying including a gruelling three setter against Pironkova on Monday. This should have given JJ some confidence and momentum, but she been struggling with injuries this year so i’d guess it might take quite a bit of a recovery. Add to that, Pavs has won their last two matches including a comprehensive 6-1 6-4 win in Moscow at the end of 2017.
WTA Doha R1 Predictions for Monday
Day 1 – 0/1
Sevastova d. Stosur in 3 sets – The first main draw match in Doha should be a close one based on their previous matches with both going the distance. Neither has made very convincing starts to the new year but head says Sevastova might grit out the win.
WTA Doha R1 Polls for Monday
Doha WWW Poll
Doha Full Draw Predictions
R1
Kerber
Kasatkina
Puig
Putintseva
Radwanska
Wozniacki
Davis
Vesnina
Strycova
Sevastova
Pavlyuchenkova
Cibulkova
Muguruza
Babos
Garcia
Pliskova
R2
Kerber
Putintseva
Wozniacki
Davis
Strycova
Cibulkova
Muguruza
Pliskova
QF
Kerber
Wozniacki
Strycova
Pliskova
SF
Wozniacki
Pliskova
F
Pliskova
Export taken from Tennis Draw Challenge predictions
Moo's Tennis Blog 