Dubai Tennis Championships 2025: Elina Svitolina vs Anna Kalinskaya preview, head-to-head, prediction and pick
Match Details
Fixture: Elina Svitolina vs Anna Kalinskaya (15)
Date: February 16, 2025
Tournament: 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships
Round: First round (Round of 64)
Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard (Outdoor)
Prize Money: $3,654,963
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports
Elina Svitolina vs Anna Kalinskaya preview
Two-time Dubai Open champion Elina Svitolina will face the last year's finalist Anna Kalinskaya in the first round of the 2025 Dubai Open Championships on Sunday, February 16.
Svitolina has a 5-3 win-loss record this season, as she reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open last month, where she lost to the eventual champion Madison Keys after taking the first set.
The 30-year-old Ukrainian was second seed at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz Open, but she was stunned in the first round by Anna Blinkova in straight sets 4-6, 4-6. Last week, she defeated Marketa Vondrousova 0-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the first round, but then suffered 3-6, 6-7(3) loss against Jessica Pegula.
On the other hand, World No. 18 Kalinskaya has a 3-4 win-loss record, and she reached the semifinals in Singapore before retiring in the second set.
Kalinskaya lost in the first round at the Brisbane International and Adelaide International before she missed the Australian Open due to an injury. Last week, she suffered a first round loss at the Qatar Open against Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa 7-6(3), 5-7, 4-6.
Elina Svitolina vs Anna Kalinskaya head-to-head
Svitolina leads Kalinskaya 1-0 in the head-to-head record, as they met at the Italian Open last year, when Svitolina won in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.
Elina Svitolina vs Anna Kalinskaya odds
(Odds will be added when available)
Elina Svitolina vs Anna Kalinskaya prediction
World No. 22 Elina Svitolina has a 19-7 record at the Dubai Open Championships, as she won the event in 2017 and 2018. She also reached the semifinals in 2016 and 2019, but she could not reach the quarterfinals in her previous four appearances in Dubai.
The former World No. 3 has won 17 WTA titles in her career but she has not won any title on hard courts since the 2021 Chicago Open, but still she would be the favorite to win against Kalinskaya, as she is much more experienced and won their only previous meeting.
The 26-year-old Kalinskaya is making her third appearance at the event. She surprised everyone last year, as she qualified for the tournament and knocked out World No. 9 Jelena Ostapenko, World No. 3 Coco Gauff, and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, before losing to Jasmine Paolini in three sets in the final.
After reaching the final at the Dubai Open last year, Kalinskaya failed to impress at any other hard court event. She could not reach any more finals on the surface in last 12 months and has a 16-11 win-loss record on the hard courts since 2024 Dubai Open.
Pick: Svitolina to win in three sets