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Match details
Fixture: Victoria Azarenka vs Veronika Kudermetova
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
Victoria Azarenka vs Veronika Kudermetova preview
Two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka will take on Veronika Kudermetova in the first round of the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships on Tuesday.
Despite a positive end to 2021, which saw her reach the final at Indian Wells, Azarenka has underwhelmed so far this year. The Belarusian lost to Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals in Adelaide and in the fourth round of the Australian Open against Barbora Krejcikova.
The World No. 17 does, however, come into the WTA 500 event after high-profile wins over Paula Badosa and Elina Svitolina on the Australian hardcourts.
Unlike her opponent, Kudermetova flew out of the blocks in 2022, making it to the final of her first tournament appearance in Melbourne. The Russian eventually lost to Simona Halep in the summit clash.
She then went on to reach the third round of the Australian Open, where she bowed out to Maria Sakkari. Kudermetova comes to Dubai on the back of a disappointing outing in St. Petersburg, where she lost in the first round to Belinda Bencic.
Victoria Azarenka vs Veronika Kudermetova head-to-head
The first-round encounter in Dubai will be the first match between Azarenka and Kudermetova, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Victoria Azarenka vs Veronika Kudermetova prediction
Given their streaky form in 2022, neither player comes into this first-round encounter as the clear favorite.
Azarenka is the more successful of the two. The 32-year-old's consistent serve, backhand and aggressive style of play give her enough weapons on the surface.
Kudermetova is a highly aggressive player herself. The Russian probably won't outlast her opponent from the baseline, but her groundstrokes and net skills allow her to finish points two or three shots early.
Azarenka has the edge in terms of experience though, and the reliability of her game on hardcourts is likely to be enough to take her to the next round, even if she is not at her best.
Prediction: Victoria Azarenka to win in three sets.
