Dubai Tennis Championships 2023: Daniil Medvedev vs Borna Coric preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (3) Daniil Medvedev vs (8) Borna Coric

Date: March 2, 2023

Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Center, Dubai

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $3,020,525

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

Daniil Medvedev vs Borna Coric preview

Third seed Medvedev will take on eighth seed Coric for a place in the last eight in Dubai.

The third-ranked Medvedev (16-2) has been on a tear in the last three weeks. The 27-year-old - who won the Rotterdam and Doha titles - is now unbeaten in 11 matches after beating Matteo Arnaldi and Alexander Bublik. Medvedev beat both players by an identical scoreline - 6-4 6-2 - to romp into his fourth quarterfinal of the season.

Meanwhile, World No. 20 Coric is building up some steam after a rather lukewarm start to the season.

The Croatian won two of his three matches at the inaugural United Cup in January. He then stumbled in the opening round of the Australian Open before winning both his Davis Cup matches against Austria.

Following a quarterfinal run in Marseille, the 26-year-old has won back-to-back matches in Dubai to improve to 7-3 on the season. Coric opened his campaign against Daniel Evans before recovering from a set down to beat Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round.

Daniil Medvedev vs Borna Coric head-to-head

The two players have met six times previously on the ATP Tour, with Coric surprisingly holding a 4-2 lead. However, they haven't met since Medvedev beat the Croatian in the 2019 St. Petersburg final to snap a three-match losing streak in the rivalry.

Daniil Medvedev vs Borna Coric odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bet	Total games (over/under)
Daniil Medvedev	-650	-1.5 (-165)	Over 21.5 (-130)
Borna Coric	+400	+1.5 (+120)	Under 21.5 (-110)

All bets are per BetMGM.

Daniil Medvedev vs Borna Coric prediction

Medvedev and Coric have similar game styles. They look to dominate from the back of the court and make occasional forays to the net to surprise their opponent. Both players also serve big and hit powerfully off either flank.

However, Medvedev is clearly the in-form player, losing only twice in 18 matches this year. His confidence is sky-high following title runs at his last two stops in Rotterdam and Doha. However, the Russian would be wary of an opponent who has dominated him in the not-too-distant past.

Coric is likely to put up a stern fight, but it's tough to see Medvedev losing this matchup as eyes a third straight title in 2023.

Prediction: Medvedev in three sets

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Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

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Edited by Aditya Singh