TennisSection previews the 2022 Dubai Open as Novak Djokovic takes on Jiri Vesely in the quarterfinal on Thursday, February 24th, 2022.
A title charge is on the cards for Novak Djokovic at this week’s Dubai Open. Djokovic looks poised to win his third straight match of 2022 when he takes on Jiri Vesely. But could there be a different line in the script?
Novak Djokovic breezed into yet another quarterfinal at the Dubai Open. The Serbian World No. 1 has not lost before the last eight in these shores, and he ensured that record remained intact. Djokovic’s first acid test since his return came in the second round when he defeated an in-form Karen Khachanov 6-3 7-6 in an hour and 38 minutes. For a player who has not played competitive tennis for 11 weeks, this is proving to be quite an adventure for Djokovic. He’s shown little rustiness in his game and he has got a spring in his step at almost every rally. Not even Khachanov’s power could dent the sheer confidence in his play. He improves to 5-1 over the Russian power-hitter and will now play a surprise name in Jiri Vesely on Thursday.
Jiri Vesely pulled off the biggest shock of the Dubai Open thus far after taking down the eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets. Prior to this week, Vesely had never won a main draw match at the event in three previous visits. But he has defied the odds this week. He scaled the qualifying rounds, digging out a couple of three-set wins. Then he took it up a notch in the main draw, where he beat Marin Cilic and the newly-crowned Doha champion Bautista Agut in routine fashion.
Jiri Vesely owns a 1-0 head-to-head record against Novak Djokovic. That famous victory was registered on the clay courts of Monte Carlo in 2016 and remains Vesely’s biggest win of his career. It will be tough to replicate that monumental upset on Thursday at the Dubai Open. Djokovic budgeted for a title win when he signed up for this event and he should be the colossal favorite to do that in style.
Free Tennis Pick and Prediction: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.
Want more Free Tennis Picks from our Experts? Check out our latest Tennis Predictions now!
Join TopCourt now to learn from some of the best tennis players in the world! Find our exclusive 14-day FREE-trial here!
All betting odds/banners presented on the site are advertisements. Opinions of our experts are solely opinions. Please gamble responsibly and BeGambleAware.org.
