WTA Dubai: Kasatkina vs Krejcikova Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 WTA Dubai Tennis Championships as Daria Kasatkina takes on Barbora Krejcikova in the second round on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.

Daria Kasatkina is not really finding joy on the court in the last few weeks. Could it change at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships when she faces Barbora Krejcikova?

Since reaching the Adelaide final last month, things have totally gone berserk for Daria Kasatkina. She has been on the receiving end of some brutal losses, and her confidence is clearly drained. Some of Kasatkina’s decision-making in her matches beggars belief. And having parted company with coach Carlos Martinez, it was clear the plan was not working. So will the addition of Flavio Cipolla bring out the best of Kasatkina at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships and beyond?

Barbora Krejcikova has already had one match at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships, beating Irina-Camelia Begu in straight sets. Krejcikova, like Kasatkina, hasn’t found her footing since leaving Australia. In fact, victory over the Romanian was just her second main draw win in three tournaments.

Daria Kasatkina and Barbora Krejcikova are tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head. Kasatkina has beaten the Czech already in 2023, doing so in Adelaide where she went on to make the final. But Krejcikova will be the overwhelming favorite to avenge that loss at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. Gamewise Krejcikova can match Kasatkina’s artistry and if the Czech can inject some pace in her groundstrokes, she should easily puncture the Russian’s defenses here.