Dubai Tennis Championships 2024: Iga Swiatek vs Elina Svitolina preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Fixture:(1) Iga Swiatek vs (15) Elina Svitolina

Date: February 21, 2024

Tournament:Dubai Tennis Championships 2024

Round: Third Round (Round of 16)

Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai

Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt

Prize money: $3,211,715

Iga Swiatek vs Elina Svitolina preview

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will square off against Elina Svitolina in the third round of the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships on Wednesday.

After a first-round bye, Swiatek took on former US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the second round. The two started the match with a hold of serve to make it 1-1 but followed it up with six consecutive breaks of serve.

Swiatek buckled the trend with a service hold for 5-4 and then secured a break of serve to clinch the set. Both had quite a few break points early on in the second set but didn't fully capitalize on their chances. With Stephens serving to stay in the match at 5-4, the Pole finally broke her serve for a 6-4, 6-4 win.

Svitolina, meanwhile, beat her compatriot Anhelina Kalinina 6-3, 7-6 (7) to set up a second-round date against former Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria. A lone break of serve in her favor proved to be more than enough for the Ukrainian to capture the first set.

The pair traded service breaks to start the second set, after which Svitolina nabbed another break of serve to lead 2-1. Maria tried her hardest to claw her way back into the match but was unsuccessful in her attempts. The Ukrainian broke her opponent's serve one last time in the final game of the match to secure a 6-3, 6-3 victory.

Iga Swiatek vs Elina Svitolina head-to-head

The two have split their previous couple of meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Svitolina won their most recent encounter at the 2023 Wimbledon in three sets.

Iga Swiatek vs Elina Svitolina odds

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

Iga Swiatek vs Elina Svitolina prediction

Swiatek was tested by Stephens in the previous round but made some tactical adjustments to come out on top. Svitolina has shown no lingering effects of the injury which forced her to end her Australian Open campaign in the middle of her fourth-round match.

The Ukrainian has played well since her return to action this week. The two crossed paths at last year's Wimbledon in which Svitolina gained the upper hand in three sets.

However, Swiatek isn't as accomplished on grass as she is on hardcourts, so the Wimbledon defeat is an outlier. Having won her third straight Qatar Open title last weekend, she's riding a wave of momentum.

Svitolina is a capable defender and even infuses her game with some timely aggression. However, Swiatek is in great form at the moment and is likely to avenge her Wimbledon loss to her older rival.

Pick: Iga Swiatek to win in straight sets.