Tennis

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships: 3 WTA Matches Of Players Who Have Never Faced Each Other Before

wendioliveros Sports Editor

Published17 Feb 2025

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The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships are underway. Proof that the WTA season is grueling is that last week’s Doha stars, Amanda Anisimova, Jelena Ostapenko, and Ekaterina Alexandrova lost in their early-round matches. It is nearly impossible to sustain high levels of tennis week after week with minimal recovery and downtime between WTA tournaments.

However, there are still intriguing matches on Tuesday, February 18 that could be called must-see. None of the players featured in these Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships head-to-head matches have played each other before in WTA-level matches.

1. Emma Raducanu vs. Karolina Muchova

Emma Raducanu won her first-round match against Maria Sakkari. Both Raducanu and Sakarri are good players who have not been able to get into a winning rhythm in recent months. Raducanu’s win over Sakkari will hopefully give her confidence against Karolina Muchova.

Confidence-building performance 💪@EmmaRaducanu closes the day with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Sakkari in 1 hour, 29 minutes!#DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/Q4RXXd9Tkn

— wta (@WTA) February 16, 2025

Both players have endured many injuries in their careers and are trying to stay healthy for a long period to contend in tournaments.

This match is scheduled to begin around 5:30 AM EST on Court 1. It is the fourth match of the day on this court so the timing is subject to change based on how the three previous matches progress.

2. Belinda Bencic vs. Emma Navarro

Belinda Bencic won the Abu Dhabi Open earlier this month. She has returned from maternity leave even more focused with a strong desire to be competitive now. Emma Navarro was sensational in 2024 and has struggled early in 2025.

April 2024 – Belinda Bencic gives birth to daughter Bella

October 2024 – Belinda Bencic returns to competitive tennis

February 2025 – Belinda Bencic wins WTA 500 title in front of 9-month-old daughter Bella pic.twitter.com/SvFMc6LLw9

— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) February 8, 2025

This match is scheduled to start around 6:40 AM EST on Court 1, the fifth match on the court. It will begin shortly after the conclusion of the Raducanu vs. Muchova match.

3. Qinwen Zheng vs. Peyton Stearns

Qinwen Zheng has struggled early this season. Peyton Stearns had a big first-round win over Ons Jabeur. The momentum and confidence could be on Stearns’s side over the reigning Olympic champion.