Abu Dhabi Open: Kostyuk vs Cirstea Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open as Marta Kostyuk takes on Sorana Cirstea in the first round on Monday, February 6, 2023.

Former Abu Dhabi Open semifinalist Marta Kostyuk will be looking to inflict a third successive main draw defeat to Sorana Cirstea when the two clash on Monday. Who will prevail?

With the way Marta Kostyuk is playing on hard courts, it won’t be long before she re-enters the top 50 of the WTA rankings. Kostyuk has two quarterfinal showings to her name this year, most recently in a losing effort to Bianca Andreescu in Hua Hin. She also made the third round of the Australian Open where she came unstuck against top-10 player Jessica Pegula. The Ukrainian reached the semifinal on her last visit to the Abu Dhabi Open. She will be looking to emulate that result in the second edition of the tournament.

Sorana Cirstea, meanwhile, has lost her last two main draw matches. And her ranking would have required her to play in qualifying at the Abu Dhabi Open given the stacked field in UAE’s capital. But Cirstea has received a main draw wild card and will be seeking her first win since the opening week of January when she faces Marta Kostyuk.

Sorana Cirstea leads Marta Kostyuk 1-0 in their head-to-head. Cirstea won that match on the clay courts of Istanbul two years ago. But Kostyuk enters Monday’s match at the Abu Dhabi Open as the clear favorite. The Ukrainian was a bit of a hit-and-miss in Hua Hin, but she needs to break out of the gates very early here. The field is extremely competitive this week and as long as the Ukrainian reaches her peak level, we expect her to ground down the World No. 63.