Qatar TotalEnergies Open quarterfinals preview and predictions

The first WTA 1000 tournament of the year, the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, is getting down to the nitty-gritty. Four quarterfinal matches on Thursday will pare down the field even further. Here is a rundown of the Thursday matches and predictions of the winners.

The opening match is Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova against Danielle Collins. Collins has to like this matchup because she has never lost to Pavlyuchenkova in their three previous meetings, all on hardcourts, from 2021 through 2023. Their most recent match was at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati last August. Collins only lost four games in that match, winning 6-3, 6-1. Prediction: Collins wins in straight sets.

Second up on Center Court is Leylah Fernandez versus Elena Rybakina. Rybakina is one of the hottest players on the WTA Tour this year with two titles, but Fernandez ended 2023 playing well at the Billie Jean King Cup and has picked up right where she left off in 2024. These two players have never played each other. Prediction: Rybakina wins in three sets.

Three former champions are in the bottom half of the quarterfinal draw

Third on Center Court is the matchup between two-time champions, Iga Swiatek (2022 and 2023) and Victoria Azarenka (2012 and 2013). Swiatek wants the three-peat so it will be tough for Azarenka to stop her. Prediction: Swiatek wins in three sets.

The final quarterfinal is a rematch from January's Brisbane International. Naomi Osaka versus 2017 Qatar champion Karolina Pliskova who has found her form and keeps winning in 2024. Osaka is playing better than she did in Brisbane when she lost to Pliskova in three sets. Osaka also had an extra rest day with the Wednesday walkover in the Round of 16. Prediction: Osaka wins in three sets.

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