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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Iga Swiatek vs (14) Ekaterina Alexandrova
Date: February 14, 2024
Tournament: Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2024
Round: Third Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $3,211,715
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Iga Swiatek vs Ekaterina Alexandrova preview
Two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek will take on 14th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round of the 2024 Qatar Open on Wednesday.
Swiatek arrived at the Qatar Open after suffering an earlier-than-usual exit from the Australian Open. The World No. 1 was bundled out by Linda Noskova in the third round Down Under. After a first-round bye here, she commenced her title defense against Sorana Cirstea in the second round.
Swiatek showed that the disappointment of Australia was already behind her as she put on a commanding display of tennis against Cirstea. She dropped just a lone game in each set for a 6-1, 6-1 victory.
Alexandrova defeated Viktoriya Tomova 7-6 (5), 6-3 in her opener to set up a second-round date against Erika Andreeva. The Russian was off to a fast start as she claimed the first set without the loss of a single game.
Andreeva finally got on board in the second set and even snagged an early break to propel herself to a 3-0 lead. She didn't let the good headstart go to waste and captured the set to level the proceedings.
Andreeva struck first in the deciding set as well, but that marked the end of her comeback bid. Alexandrova reeled off the next six games to score a 6-0, 3-6, 6-1 win.
Iga Swiatek vs Ekaterina Alexandrova head-to-head
Swiatek leads Alexandrova 2-1 in the head-to-head. The Pole won their previous encounter at the 2023 Madrid Open in three sets.
Iga Swiatek vs Ekaterina Alexandrova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Iga Swiatek vs Ekaterina Alexandrova prediction
Aside from a second set blip, Alexandrova was dialed in for most of the time against Andreeva. She lost four and nine points on serve in the first set and third set respectively. She'll need to maintain a similar level of focus and serve with precision in the next round as well.
Swiatek once again proved why she loves competing here after the beatdown she handed to Cirstea. The court conditions further amplify her strengths and the extra bounce makes her topspin-heavy groundstrokes even more lethal.
Alexandrova won her first match against Swiatek, but the latter sneaked past the Russian in their next two clashes. Both of their recent matches went the distance, with the Pole holding her nerve much better than her opponent.
If Alexandrova's serving and shotmaking remain consistent from start to finish, she could make this a competitive duel. Otherwise, it's quite difficult to get the better of Swiatek here as the defending champion has demonstrated over the last two years.
Pick: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets.
