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

Fixture: (8) Borna Coric vs Dan Evans

Date: February 28, 2023

Round: First round (Round of 32)

Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: $2,855,495

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

Borna Coric vs Dan Evans preview

Eighth seed Borna Coric will begin his Dubai campaign with a first-round clash against Dan Evans on Tuesday.

Former World No. 12 Coric began the 2023 season with a couple of wins at the United Cup before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Host City Finals. Thereafter, Coric suffered a first-round exit at the hands of Jiri Lehecka at the Australian Open.

The World No. 20 then bounced back with two wins at the Davis Cup, which was followed by a run to the quarterfinals at Montpellier. However, he had to pull out of Rotterdam to recover from a minor hip issue.

World No. 29 Dan Evans, meanwhile, managed to win just one of his three outings at the United Cup. Following a first-round defeat at the Adelaide International 2, the Brit went on to make the third round of the Australian Open.

The 32-year-old then unexpectedly slumped to a loss against lower-ranked Nicolas Mejia at the Davis Cup.

At last week's Qatar Open, Evans was shown the door by Emil Ruusuvuori in the first round. Evans will be eager to snap his losing streak in Dubai.

Borna Coric vs Dan Evans head-to-head

Evans has a 1-0 lead over Coric in their head-to-head. The Brit came through 7-5, 7-6 (1) in their solitary encounter so far in the quarterfinals of the Melbourne 2 tournament in 2021.

Borna Coric vs Dan Evans odds

(Odds sourced from BetMGM)

Borna Coric vs Dan Evans prediction

Although Coric has had a better start to the season out of the two, it remains to be seen if he has regained full fitness following the hip issue. Evans' counterpunching skills and his ability to wear down opponents make him a tough opponent to handle, especially if a player isn't 100%.

However, if the Croat manages to find his rhythm, he should be the one favored to come through this contest. Coric has improved his serve in the past few months, which was evident during his fairytale comeback at Cincinnati last year.

The 26-year-old's return of serve remains an asset and so is his solid backhand. If he can attack right from the start and keep the points shorter, he has a good chance of turning the tables on the Brit this time around.

Pick: Borna Coric to win in three sets.