WTA Qatar Open 2022: Women’s Singles Draw Preview, Analysis, and Prediction
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Garbine Muguruza, Barbora Krejcikova, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek
The Qatar Open, which is a WTA 1000 event will commence from February 20, 2022. Aryna Sabalenka is seeded first in the tournament while Barbora Krejcikova is the second seed.
Tournament Details:
- Tournament: WTA Qatar Open 2022
- Date: February 20 – 26, 2022
- Number of Entrants: 56 (Singles), 28 (Doubles)
- Venue: Doha, Qatar
- Surface: Hardcourt
- Prize Money: $2,331,698
- Defending Champion: Petra Kvitova
Top Seeds at the WTA Qatar Open 2022
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Barbora Krejcikova
- Paula Badosa
- Anett Kontaveit
- Garbine Muguruza
- Maria Sakkari
- Iga Swiatek
- Ons Jabeur
Women’s Singles Draw Analysis and Prediction
Top Half
World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka will headline the tournament draw. She is yet to play at her best this season and would like to solidify her position as one of the best in Qatar. She receives a first-round bye along with the other 7 seeds and will open against either Alize Cornet or Liudmilla Samsonova in the second round. She is drawn opposite 7th seed Iga Swiatek who will face either a qualifier or Viktorija Golubic in the second round. Other notable names in the first quarter are Elena Rybakina, Angelique Kerber, Daria Kasatkina, and Ajla Tomljanovic.
The second quarter of the draw is also the most packed one. Paula Badosa, the third seed, is expected to face Olympic Gold medalist Belinda Bencic in the second round and could face either Simona Halep, Coco Gauff, or Shelby Rogers in the third round. Gauff, who has had a terrible start to the season will have to play her best tennis to beat Shelby Rogers in the opening round. 6th seed Maria Sakkari will most probably play Sofia Kenin in the second round and could go on to face 9th seed Jessica Pegula in the Round of 16.
First Semi-Final Prediction: Iga Swiatek vs Paula Badosa
Bottom Half
French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova will headline the bottom half of the draw. She will face either Alison Riske or Magda Linette in the second round and could face in-form Jelena Ostapenko in the Round of 16. The Latvian will face a qualifier in the opener and could face Amanda Anisimova in the second round. 5th seed Garbine Muguruza will face either Mayar Sherif or Sorana Cirstea in the second round and could face Victoria Azarenka in a blockbuster third-round clash. Azarenka, however, will have to battle past Yulia Putinteseva or Madison Brengle to reach the Round of 16.
4th seed Anett Kontaveit gets a relatively easy draw and will face either a qualifier or Ana Konjuh in the second round. Elise Mertens will face Jasmine Paolini in the first round and could face Petra Kvitova in the second round. 8th seed Ons Jabeur will open against a qualifier in the second round and could face Elina Svitolina in the third round. The Ukrainian will face Tereza Matincova in the opening round and is expected to face Veronika Kudermetova in the second round.
Second Semi-Final Prediction: Anett Kontaveit vs Garbine Muguruza
Semifinals
Two of the brightest talents currently on the WTA tour, Iga Swiatek and Paula Badosa will meet in the first semifinal. Both Swiatek and Badosa prefer playing on clay but they have shown last year that they bode well with the hard courts too. They have a similar defensive game style and hence the match would start at 50-50. Expect a thriller with Swiatek just edging past Badosa because of her serve.
In the second semifinal, Anett Kontaveit will play Garbine Muguruza for a place in the final. Kontaveit has emerged as one of the most improved players in the last few months. She is rising up the ranks consistently and would fancy her chances in claiming the biggest title of her career. As for Muguruza, she has experience on her side and knows how to win big titles. But this time, Kontaveit’s attack may be too much for Muguruza’s experience.
Qatar Open Final: Iga Swiatek vs Anett Kontaveit
Final
Iga Swiatek will be up against Anett Kontaveit in the final of the 2022 Qatar Open. Swiatek is already a grand slam and WTA 1000 champion but both of the titles have come on clay courts. Kontaveit, on the other side, is the current queen of indoor hardcourts. Both players have opposite game styles which makes this match even more interesting. This time, Swiatek’s defense is likely to get the better of Kontaveit’s attack.
Champion: Iga Swiatek
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)