WTA Dubai: Final Prediction

WTA Dubai: Final Prediction-Simona Halep vs Karolina Pliskova

(Rank/Seed)

The semi finals have been completed at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and they were both close 3 setters.

Firstly, the Czech, (18/17) Karolina Pliskova defeated Spain’s (22/-) Garbine Muguruza 64 57 75 in a match centred on dominant serving. Despite the blustery conditions, neither player held back in looking to take the initiative whenever they could, setting up multiple chances for themselves along the way. Both players would have 14 break point chances throughout, but there was only 3 breaks all match, one in each set. This was largely due to the tremendous serving of both players under pressure, particularly Pliskova who hit 13 aces and coolly recovered from 0-40 down in the 12th game of the 3rd set. In contrast, Muguruza appeared more emotional towards the end and her 16 double faults throughout the match often occurred at critical times.

Crowd favourite, Romanian, (4/1) Simona Halep physically outlasted the Dane, (5/3) Caroline Wozniacki 26 61 61. Caroline could do no wrong in the first set, hitting only 3 unforced errors as she surprisingly dictated play. However, as the match and the rallies wore on, it became apparent that Simona was finding her range and the match turned. Wozniacki, who has been struggling with a fever and a knee complaint all week, was keen to finish the points off as quickly as possible. Though this at times produced some sensational winners, particularly from her inside out backhand, it ultimately proved too costly as her unforced error count mounted. In contrast, much to the delight of a particularly partisan fan who has been shown on television all week, Simona forced Wozniacki into long rallies which she often got the better of. Though usually you’d count on Wozniacki winning these kind of marathon points, tonight her concentration wasn’t there, nor was any belief she could win as the final game swiftly came to a close.

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So, who do I think will win the final?

Experience: Halep has won 9 of her 15 career finals played to date, winning events as big as Dubai and contesting finals of even bigger events. Pliskova has won 3 of the 7 she’s contested, but has never played in a final this big.

Recent Form: Halep has had a solid start to the year, winning Shenzhen and reaching the Australian Open quarter finals. Pliskova has sky rocketed up the rankings this season, winning more matches than anyone else this year. At best, she made her first Premier level final at Sydney, losing to Kvitova and reached the semis in Antwerp last week.

Route Through: Halep had the advantage of receiving a bye but has been pushed to 3 sets in her last two matches, barely edging (9/6) Ekaterina Makarova 63 16 75 in the quarter finals to avenge her Australian Open defeat. However, Karolina has played an extra match and been taken to 3 sets in her last 3 matches, including the upset of Ana Ivanovic and a comeback quarter final win against compatriot (15/11) Lucie Safarova 36 76(5) 61. So Halep should be the physically fresher of the two.

Head to head: The two have never played before so they will have to adjust to each others game from scratch. I think Halep will struggle against Pliskova, as she does against other tall women with powerful, flat groundstrokes, such as Sharapova and Muguruza. Halep also has the pressure of being expected to win on her shoulders and is clearly not playing her best. Providing she has the energy, I think that Pliskova could cause a real upset here because she will have time on the ball to set up the big strike and seems so laid back under pressure.

Who will win? Prediction: Pliskova

Next: Upsets Galore in Dubai 3rd Round

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