Brazil’s Haddad Maia is set to face Paula Badosa in the first round of the Qatar Open
Paula Badosa is back in action on the WTA tour after a break of one month. She was injured in January during the Adelaide International warm-up event which forced her to withdraw from the Australian Open as well as the Abu Dhabi Open. The Spaniard has now fully recovered and will be looking to make it count in Qatar.
Badosa has played only two professional matches so far this season. Incidentally, her previous match was against Haddad Maia on January 12 in Adelaide. The Spaniard emerged victorious in straight sets on that occasion and is now set to face the same opponent after a month.
Haddad Maia is coming into this tournament following a commendable semi-final finish at the Abu Dhabi Open. The Brazilian player defeated third seed Elena Rybakina in Abu Dhabi last week before losing to Belinda Bencic in the semis. Haddad Maia will be aiming to carry forward her good form into this tournament and register a few positive results.
Date – Monday, 13th February
Court Type – Outdoor Hard Court
Telecast – Tennis Channel
Start Time – To be announced
Location – Doha
Match details – First Round
Badosa and Haddad Maia have played each other once before on the WTA tour. Badosa emerged victorious in that sole encounter and leads the overall head-to-head 1-0. The Spaniard is the clear favourite going into this match both in terms of experience and rankings. It will be an uphill task for Haddad Maia in this encounter but she is expected to pose a tough challenge. We are predicting a win in three sets for Paula Badosa.
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