Belinda Bencic won the WTA 500 last year but will not be able to defend her title due to her pregnancy. Elena Rybakina and Ons Jabeur are the top two seeds, but tennis players such as Barbora Krejcikova, Jelena Ostapenko and Maria Sakkari are also capable of competing for the tournament.
Analysis of the drawing:
Upper half of the mesh:
Ranked players: (1) Elena Rybakina, (4) Barbora Krejcikova, (5) Elena Ostapenko, (8) Lyudmila Samsonova.
Expected semi-final: Elena Rybakina against Barbora Krejcikova.
A black horse: Veronica Kudermetova
Analysis: Elena Rybakina played one of the most exciting matches in Australian Open history against Anna Blinkova. But the Russian tennis player won this match in a super tiebreaker and Rybakina now needs to improve in Abu Dhabi.
Rybakina doesn’t have the best draw, as she could face Naomi Osaka in the second round. Even if the Japanese should not be underestimated, the 2022 Wimbledon champion should win and reach the quarter-finals. There she will most likely meet fifth seed Jelena Ostapenko. And it’s also a very difficult match.
In the semifinals, Rybakina can play with Czech Barbora Krejcikova, who almost immediately has Veronika Kudermetova in the draw, and then potential opponents could include Paula Badosa, Angelina Kalinina, Lesya Tsurenko and last year’s finalist Lyudmila Samsonova . The Russians are not in the best shape at the moment, but Krejcikov’s other rivals are significantly stronger.
Semi-final predictions: Barbora Krejcikova wins
Lower half of the mesh:
Ranked players: (2) Ons Jabeur, (3) Maria Sakkari, (6) Béatrice Haddad Maya, (7) Daria Kasatkina
Expected semi-final: Ons Jabeur vs. Daria Kasatkina
A black horse: Emma Raducanu
Analysis: Ons Jabeur performed poorly in Australia (she was eliminated by Mirra Andreeva in the second round of the Australian Open 3-6, 0-6), but is now expected to have a good match at Abu Dhabi.
Jabeur doesn’t have the easiest start, as she will face either Emma Raducanu or Marie Bouzkova in the second round in Abu Dhabi. But the Tunisian tennis player is stronger and must progress further.
In the third round, Jabeur can face Béatrice Addad Maia or Magda Linette, Ons must defeat each of them.
In the other part of the group is third seed Maria Sakkari, who will meet either Caroline Garcia or Sorana Cirstei in the second round. There is a good chance that Garcia will reach the quarterfinals, since Sakkari has not shown brilliant tennis in a long time. time, especially against comparable opponents.
Next, the Frenchwoman will most likely meet seventh seed Daria Kasatkina, of whom the Russian is already considered the favorite. The expected semi-final is a showdown between Kasatkina and Jabeur.
Semi-final predictions: Ons Jabeur defeats Daria Kasatkina
Final forecast:
Ons Jabeur vs Barbora Krejcikova is the scheduled final of the WTA 500 tournament, the Tunisian tennis player seems to be the favorite in this match.
Source: Sport
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
