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The main draw for the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open has been revealed and we are in for an exciting week of tennis action beginning from February 6.
Daria Kasatkina and Belinda Bencic are the top two seeds and both players will be amongst the favorites to win the title. However, third seed Elena Rybakina will arguably be the player to beat after her final appearance at the 2023 Australian Open.
The likes of Veronika Kudermetova, Jelena Ostapenko, Paula Badosa and Beatriz Haddad Maia are also in the reckoning, as are Anett Kontaveit and Barbora Krejcikova.
On that note, let's take a look at how the main draw for the Abu Dhabi Open could turn out.
Top Half: Daria Kasatkina, Jelena Ostapenko, Paula Badosa and Barbora Krejcikova make for an exciting draw
Top Seeds: (1) Daria Kasatkina, (4) Veronika Kudermetova, (5) Jelena Ostapenko, (8) Liudmila Samsonova
Expected Semifinal: Daria Kasatkina vs Paula Badosa
Dark Horse: Barbora Krejcikova
Top seed Daria Kasatkina is in this half of the draw and she is among the favorites to win the tournament. The Russian has received a bye to the second round and her opponent will be either Jil Teichmann or a qualifier. Kasatkina should be able to get the better of whoever she faces and reach the quarterfinals where her potential opponents include Jelena Ostapenko, Danielle Collins, Zheng Qinwen, and a qualifier.
Ostapenko vs Collins is arguably the most anticipated match in the opening round of the Abu Dhabi Open. The Latvian looks in good touch at the moment and will most likely be Kasatkina's opponent in the quarterfinals.
Both players can be formidable on their day and while the Russian suffered a disastrous exit from the Australian Open first round, she should be able to defeat Ostapenko to reach the semifinals.
This half of the draw has two seeded players, Veronika Kudermetova and Liudmila Samsonova. However, the latter will be up against Paula Badosa in the first round and there's a fair chance the Spaniard could come out on top.
Badosa will most likely face Barbora Krejcikova in the second round, who is gradually improving her singles performances. The match will be tightly-contested but Badosa should get past Krejcikova to reach the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open.
Here, the Spaniard will most likely face Kudermetova, who produced some impressive performances last season. Badosa should manage to get the better of the Russian and reach the semifinals of the Abu Dhabi Open.
Bottom Half: Belinda Bencic aims second title of the year with Elena Rybakina also in contention
Seeded Players: (2) Belinda Bencic, (3) Elena Rybakina, (6) Beatriz Haddad Maia, (7) Anett Kontaveit
Predicted Semifinal: Belinda Bencic vs Elena Rybakina
Dark Horse: Karolina Pliskova
Second seed Belinda Bencic will be eager to win her second title of the 2023 season and is among the favorites to triumph at the Abu Dhabi Open. The Swiss received a bye to the second round where her opponent will be either Marta Kostyuk or Sorana Cirstea.
Bencic's current form should see her beat either of the two and reach the quarterfinals. Here, her most likely opponent would be Anett Kontaveit, although Zhang Shuai should not be written off.
This half of the draw also has Elena Rybakina, who reached the Australian Open final. The Kazakh's second-round opponent will most likely be Karolina Pliskova.
Pliskova reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and is capable of giving Rybakina a tough fight. However, the Wimbledon champion should get the better of her and reach the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, her potential opponents include Beatriz Haddad Maia, Marie Bouzkova, Bianca Andreescu, and a qualifier. All three are pretty good players who won't be easy to beat. However, Rybakina looks in brilliant form at the moment and should be able to book her place in the semifinals of the Abu Dhabi Open.
Semifinal predictions
Paula Badosa def. Daria Kasatkina
Elena Rybakina def. Belinda Bencic
Final prediction
Elena Rybakina def. Paula Badosa
