Former champion Svitolina heads Dubai draw, Swiatek and Muguruza on collision course

3m read 06 Mar 2021 4y ago
Elina Svitolina, Doha 2021
Jimmie48/WTA

Three former champions will line up in the 2021 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, with two-time winner Elina Svitolina

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Svitolina, who won the title here in 2017 and 2018, has a first-round bye and will face an opening clash against either former World No.2 Svetlana Kuznetsova, a three-time runner-up in Dubai, or Wang Qiang. Alongside the Ukrainian, 2013 champion Petra Kvitova is the No.4 seed and 2019 champion Belinda Bencic

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Click here to view full 2021 Dubai draw

Bencic, who reached the Adelaide final two weeks ago, faces a tough road. The Swiss player will open against either Veronika Kudermetova

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, who ended her title defence in
a remarkable 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 first round here last year. Should Bencic navigate that round successfully, she is projected to face No.11 seed Madison Keys
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, her conqueror this week in Doha, in the last 16, and Svitolina in the quarterfinals.

Among the most fascinating projected clashes in the draw is a potential third-round match between No.8 seed Iga Swiatek

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Whoever survives between Swiatek and Muguruza will be tested again in a projected quarterfinal against No.3 seed Aryna Sabalenka

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and No.15 seed Anett Kontaveit.

Elsewhere, a clash of former World No.1s could loom as early as the second round. No.7 seed Victoria Azarenka

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. No.10 seed
Elise Mertens
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is projected in the third round and No.2 seed Karolina Pliskova
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, the 2015 runner-up, in the quarterfinals.

A number of landmines also stand in Kvitova's way. The Czech will open against either Paula Badosa

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. The last 16 could either see a first encounter between Kvitova and last year's runner-up, No.14 seed
Elena Rybakina
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, or a rematch of her superb 2020 Doha quarterfinal against crowd favorite Ons Jabeur
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.

Kvitova's projected quarterfinal opponent is No.5 seed Kiki Bertens. The Dutchwoman managed to win just two games from Jelena Ostapenko

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, and 16-year-old wildcard
Coco Gauff
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.

Main draw play begins on Sunday. The tournament will be hosted in line with Covid-19 guidelines and will be spectator-free.

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