7th seed Anett Kontaveit locks horns with American qualifier Shelby Rogers in the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open on Wednesday.
The Estonian star has not had an ideal start to the season. In the Adelaide International 1, she lost to Qinwen Zheng in the round of 32. In the Adelaide International 2, Kontaveit went down to 9th seed Paula Badosa in the first round. Entering the Australian Open as the 16th seed, Kontaveit lost to Magda Linette in the second round after edging Julia Grabher in the first round.
The former world No. 2 began her campaign in the Abu Dhabi Open in the round of 32 against Zhang Shuai. Kontaveit lost the first set but came back strongly to win a riveting clash. She hit 10 aces during the encounter and converted 3 out of 6 break points. The match ended 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 in favor of Kontaveit.
The 30-year-old picked up her first win of the season at the Australian Open in the first round against Arianne Hartono after going winless in the main draws of the Adelaide International 1 and Adelaide International 2. Rogers lost to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka in the second round of the Australian Open.
In the two qualifying matches that Rogers played to get to the main draw of the Abu Dhabi Open, she defeated Vera Zvonareva and Magdalena Frech. In the round of 32, Rogers got the better of Leylah Fernandez in three sets 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 1-1 between Kontaveit and Rogers. The American star won their most recent encounter in the 2021 Australian Open in straight sets.
Prediction: Anett Kontaveit to win in straight sets.
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