The opening of the new week of tournaments could not have gone much better, but that was the case last week and we saw how quickly things can turn in another direction.
The only focus right now is to build on the Sunday successful results with another couple of winners when a very busy Monday is completed.
Once again the focus is on the WTA 1000 event in Dubai and that is because it is a quieter start to the two ATP 500 tournaments in Doha and Rio de Janeiro with smaller fields in the main draw, although with some top players involved.
Ons Jabeur - 3.5 games v Peyton Stearns: Back to back Quarter Finals runs in Abu Dhabi and Doha would be solid returns for most players, but Ons Jabeur has bigger expectations of herself and there has been plenty of support behind her from the stands.
Losing matches to Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko are perhaps not the worst results, but Ons Jabeur will have expected to have won one of those and potentially even earned a title at either of the events already played.
Now she takes another swing in Dubai and Ons Jabeur can really begin moving back up the World Rankings with some wins here. Earning a Seed at the French Open has to be an ambition for Ons Jabeur, which looks very likely anyway, and the Tunisian will want to show she can compete with some of the top names on the Tour, who are going to be playing at this WTA 1000 event too.
In the First Round the draw has thrown up Peyton Stearns as an opponent, another player who has suffered a defeat to Elena Rybakina during this run through the Middle East.
The American has struggled for consistency and that is perhaps underlined by the fact she has yet to crack the top 40 in the World Rankings and has been hovering just outside those positions.
Peyton Stearns has produced some solid numbers on the Tour in 2025- she has a decent first serve and can hit the ball plenty hard, which can be dangerous in the rallies. However, the second serve will need to be protected with a bit more authority and Ons Jabeur is capable of exploiting that shot.
Ons Jabeur perhaps just does things a little better than Peyton Stearns at this stage of their respective careers and her performances at the last two events have been encouraging. With a slightly stronger second serve and an ability to get her teeth into return games, the higher Ranked of the two players can make use of her primetime spot on the day and just wear down Stearns with a solid victory.
Ekaterina Alexandrova - 2.5 games v Veronika Kudermetova: It doesn't feel that long ago that Veronika Kudermetova was playing as one of the top ten players on the WTA Tour, but almost two and a half years have passed by since she reached her career best World Ranking.
These days Kudermetova is operating outside of the top 50 in the World Rankings and that has meant having to win Qualifying matches to earn her spot in the main draw at some of the bigger events that are played.
Both in Doha and Dubai, Veronika Kudermetova has won two Qualifying matches, while she was able to earn a spot in the Abu Dhabi main draw as a Lucky Loser.
Despite those wins, Kudermetova has not really ben able to back them up in the main draw and this is a tough match against compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova.
After her run to reach the Doha Semi Final on Friday, Ekaterina Alexandrova has moved up into World Number 22 and she will be once again thinking about surpassing her career best mark that was set in early April last year. There are very little Ranking points to protect in Dubai and Indian Wells so this will feel like an opportunity for Ekaterina Alexandrova to move back in with some of the top names on the Tour, although it is never easy to produce consistently strong tennis from week to week.
Confidence will not be a problem for Ekaterina Alexandrova, who won the title in Linz in early February, and beating Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula last week in Doha can only strengthen that belief.
Ekaterina Alexandrova had lost her opening two matches on the pro Tour against Veronika Kudermetova, but she has won their last three meetings including in Adelaide in January 2024. The irony is that all of those five matches have been won by the lower Ranked player, so that is something that Alexandrova will have to be aware of and look to avoid happening for a sixth time between the two Russians.
You have to have respect for Veronika Kudermetova who has been playing at a decent level, and who will also be familiar with the conditions in Dubai. However, Ekaterina Alexandrova is in strong form and she may just be able to secure a tough win in this First Round match.
MY PICKS: Ons Jabeur - 3.5 Games @ 1.83 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Ekaterina Alexandrova - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Weekly Update: 2-0, + 1.72 Units (2 Units Staked, + 86% Yield)
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