Japan’s Nao Hibino will take on Oceane Dodin in the Round of 16 at the WTA 125K Paris tournament 2023
Nao Hibino is coming into this match at the back of a memorable victory against No.3 seed Alycia Parks of the US. Parks was one of the favourites to win the title in Paris but the Japanese player had other plans.
Hibino put up a sublime display to beat her comprehensively in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. It was certainly an unexpected result and must have been a huge confidence booster for Hibino. It remains to be seen if the 28-year-old can capitalise on her good start and go deep into the tournament.
France’s Oceane Dodin is currently ranked World No.93 in women’s singles and happens to be more regular on the ITF circuit than the WTA tour. She is pretty dominant at the ITF level and has already won three titles this year – twice in France and once in Tunisia. However, she doesn’t have any noteworthy performance at the WTA level this season and this tournament provides a good opportunity for her to make a mark especially on home turf.
Dodin has made an impressive start to the tournament and registered a hard-fought win in her first round match against compatriot Chloe Paquet. She showed tremendous determination and grit to come back from a set down and win 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in her opening match. Dodin will have the home support in her favour during her match against Hibino and will certainly fancy her chances against the Japanese player.
Date – Thursday, 18th May
Court Type – Clay outdoor surface
Telecast – Tennis Channel
Start Time – To be Announced
Location – Paris
Match details – Round of 16
Hibino and Dodin have played each other once before on the WTA tour. Hibino emerged victorious in their sole face-off till date and thereby leads 1-0 on head to head. On paper though, Dodin is the outright favourite both in terms of form and rankings. However, one can certainly not rule out the Japanese ace and she is expected to put up a tough fight. We are predicting an intense encounter with Dodin eventually edging out Hibino in three sets.
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