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Match details
Fixture: (4) Garbine Muguruza vs (Q) Katerina Siniakova
Date: 15 February, 2022
Tournament: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2022
Round: First round (Round of 32)
Venue: Dubai, UAE.
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $703,580
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Garbine Muguruza vs Katerina Siniakova preview
Garbine Muguruza will kick off her title defense at the Dubai Tennis Championships against Katerina Siniakova in the first round on Tuesday.
Mugurza's start to the 2022 season hasn't been too impressive. At the Sydney Tennis Classic, she defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round after an opening-round bye. But the Spaniard went on to lose to Daria Kasatkina in straight sets in the very next round.
Despite the loss, the former World No. 1 arrived at the Australian Open as one of the title contenders. However, she was knocked out in the second round by Alize Cornet.
Muguruza has not been able to replicate last year's form that saw her lift titles at the WTA Finals, Dubai and Chicago. With a 2-2 record for the year, she'll need to step up her level considerably to get her season back on track.
Katerina Siniakova, meanwhile, defeated Jacqueline Cristian, Maddison Inglis and Jil Teichmann in the qualifying rounds to progress to the main draw of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Siniakova's results in singles and doubles this year have been wildly contrasting. She lost in the first round of singles in all three tournaments she has competed in so far. However, the Czech remains undefeated in doubles, winning two tournaments, including the Australian Open, to post a 10-0 start to the season.
The 25-year-old will be hoping to replicate some of her doubles success on the singles court to end her losing run.
Garbine Muguruza vs Katerina Siniakova head-to-head
The two have faced off thrice before, with Siniakova leading 2-1 in the head-to-head. She won their most recent encounter in three sets at the Canadian Open last year.
Garbine Muguruza vs Katerina Siniakova prediction
Muguruza was originally set to face 2022 Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins in the opening round. But due to Maria Sakkari's withdrawal, Collins took the Greek's spot in the draw, meaning Muguruza will face Siniakova.
All three of Muguruza's previous matches with Siniakova have been closely fought and that could be the case on Tuesday as well.
The Czech will be coming into this match with a lot of confidence after scoring some wins in the qualifying rounds. That said, Muguruza has had some time to reset and recover after her early exit from the Australian Open.
The Spaniard plays with a lot of aggression from the back of the court and if she can keep her unforced error count in check, she should be able to power past the Czech.
Prediction: Garbine Muguruza to win in three sets.
