Dubai Championships: Coric vs Evans Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Dubai Championships as Borna Coric takes on Dan Evans in the first round on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

With neither player finding form on the ATP Tour, Tuesday’s clash at the Dubai Championships carries a lot of significance for both Borna Coric and Dan Evans in their bid to return to winning ways. So who will prevail?

The Australian swing wasn’t all bad for Borna Coric despite making another habitual first-round exit at Melbourne Park to surprise package of the tournament in Jiri Lehecka. Prior to that, Coric was part of the Croatian team that reached the City Finals at the United Cup. Coric scored his first main draw win of the season in Montpellier when he defeated Arthur Rinderknech. But he lost in two tight sets to eventual runner-up Maxime Cressy in the subsequent round. Can he find his feet at the Dubai Championships?

Dan Evans, for his part, arrives at the Dubai Championships on a dwindling run of form. Since beating Jeremy Chardy in the second round of the Australian Open, Evans has lost three on the spin including that shambolic three-set defeat to World No. 247 Nicolas Mejia at the Davis Cup. His Middle East swing began in the worst possible way, losing in straight sets to Emil Ruusuvuori in Doha this past week.

Dan Evans leads Borna Coric 1-0 in their head-to-head, beating the Croat in straight sets at the 2021 Murray River Open in Australia. Evans is struggling for confidence right now and is not hitting the ball as dexterously as we have become accustomed to. This is a tight call, but it looks like Coric is slightly more consistent in winning points this year. And his solid backhand will stand the test against Evans’ backhand slice.