Dubai Open 2023: Victoria Azarenka vs Amanda Anisimova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (15) Victoria Azarenka vs Amanda Anisimova

Date: 21 February, 2023

Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships 2023

Round: Second round (round of 32)

Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Center, Dubai

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: $2,788,468

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

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Victoria Azarenka vs Amanda Anisimova preview

Victoria Azarenka during her first-round match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Dubai Tennis Championships

15th seed Victoria Azarenka will take on Amanda Anisimova in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Azarenka has won nine out of 13 matches so far this season, most notably reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open, where she beat Jessica Pegula in the process. The former World No. 1 then competed at the Qatar Open and reached the second round after beating Ipek Oz 6-1, 6-1. Here, she lost 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 to Belinda Bencic.

Amanda Anisimova started the 2023 season with a first-round exit at the Adelaide International 1. She then reached the second round of the Adelaide International 2 before losing 6-4, 7-5 to Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Anisimova followed this up with a disappointing opening-round exit at the Australian Open, losing 6-3, 6-4 to Marta Kostyuk. She then entered the Dubai Tennis Championships and booked her place in the second round by beating Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2.

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Victoria Azarenka vs Amanda Anisimova head-to-head

Anisimova leads 1-0 in the head-to-head against Azarenka, having previously beaten the Belarusian 6-1, 6-4 at last year's Madrid Open.

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Victoria Azarenka vs Amanda Anisimova odds

Odds will be updated when available

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Victoria Azarenka vs Amanda Anisimova prediction

Azarenka will enter the match as the favorite to win but Anisimova should not be written off as she is capable of giving the Belarusian a run for her money on her day.

Azarenka has had a very promising start to the season and she will be in good spirits entering the match. She will look to make the most out of her powerful groundstrokes and her defensive qualities will come in pretty handy too.

Azarenka has looked a lot more composed on the court lately and holding her nerve will be crucial if she is to have a good run in Dubai. She has a strong serve but will be put to the test by Anisimova's returning skills.

The American deploys an aggressive style and will have to be as offensive as she can while also not hitting too many unforced errors. Her stamina and on-court movement will be pretty useful in dealing with Azarenka's intensity.

While Anisimova is a pretty talented player, Azarenka is the superior player considering her recent form and should be able to book her place in the third round.

Pick: Azarenka to win in straight sets.