Qatar Open 2022: Aryna Sabalenka vs Jil Teichmann preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (1) Aryna Sabalenka vs Jil Teichmann.
Date: 23 February, 2022.
Tournament: Qatar Open.
Round: Third round (Round of 16).
Venue: Doha, Qatar.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $2,331,698.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Jil Teichmann preview
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka will take on Jil Teichmann in the third round of the 2022 Qatar Open on Wednesday.
After an opening-round bye, Sabalenka started off with a 6-2, 6-2 win over 2022 Australian Open quarterfinalist Alize Cornet in the second round. It was quite easily her best match of the year so far. The Belarusian didn't face a single break point and the double fault count was relatively low.
Sabalenka has been plagued by her serving woes this year, leading to quite a few early exits from tournaments. At the start of the season, she made successive early round exits from a couple of events in Adelaide. The World No. 2 managed to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open despite not being at her best.
At last week's Dubai Open, she was knocked out in the second round by two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova. Sabalenka will now look to conclude her Middle East swing on a positive note by doing well in Qatar.
With their 2R wins today, Aryna Sabalenka and Ons Jabeur join Paula Badosa at 16 wins at the WTA 1000 level since the start of 2021.
#QatarTennis https://t.co/PY9XPAtI2e
Teichmann, meanwhile, defeated former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber in three sets in the first round. The three-time Grand Slam champion won the first set, but the Swiss staged a comeback to upset her. She followed it up with a hard-fought 7-6(9), 7-5 win over Alison Van Uytvanck]
Teichmann made the most of her second chance in Dubai last week. After losing in the qualifying rounds, she secured a main draw spot as a lucky loser. She made it to the quarterfinals, besting higher-ranked players Elina Svitolina and Elise Mertens along the way. The Swiss is playing at a similar level in Qatar too.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Jil Teichmann head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 at present.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Jil Teichmann prediction
Sabalenka's ranking and accomplishments will make her the favorite to win on paper, but her season so far has been rather turbulent. Teichmann did play well in Dubai, but she has been tested thoroughly in both of her matches in Qatar.
Sunday chill: @SabalenkaA during Media Day in Doha. https://t.co/7PnrYRsSTU
Both players will be somewhat evenly matched heading into this encounter. Sabalenka's serve used to be one of her assets, but it has seemingly disappeared. She has been improving match by match though. As a lefty, Teichmann will certainly cause the World No. 2 some trouble with the placement of her serve and shots.
Sabalenka's big-hitting game has worked so far, despite her serving issues. However, at times when he serve has deserted her, she has been forced to go for too much from the baseline, leading to an increased number of unforced errors.
Sabalenka showed some signs of improvement with her opening round win in Qatar. If the World No. 2 puts up a similar performance against Teichmann, she's likely to walk away with a win.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.