2025 WTA Dubai 1000

Rybakina broke Badosa in game 1 of set 3, led basically the whole way, got broken back right near the end, had to save 2 more match points (6 total) serving to get the set into the breaker, and then ran away with it once it got there.
 
ibbi said:
Rybakina broke Badosa in game 1 of set 3, led basically the whole way, got broken back right near the end, had to save 2 more match points (6 total) serving to get the set into the breaker, and then ran away with it once it got there.
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I stopped watching in set 3 when Rybakina went up the break, can’t believe it ended up getting back on serve.

Rybakina ended up saving 6 match points to win that one. That’s insane. Not sure the last time a player on the ladies side has had to save that many match points. Especially against a top 10 player. Ouch for Paula.
 
Aussie Darcy said:
Zheng now on a 3 match losing streak.
Zheng's played just 4 matches in 2025 losing 3 and just the one win against a qualifier at the AO.
Woeful considering she finished 2024 with the runner up at the WTA Finals.
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When someone here said not to read too much into the WTA finals (ahem, ahem), some people scoffed. But the WTA finals has been a strange event for quite a few years now. Between the venue issues and players showing up out of gas and disinterested, you can't read too much into it.

Zheng is a streaky player and clearly still needs tons of confidence to play her best. Gauff still has big issues with her game, and while some do seem technical, a lot of that also comes from between the ears.

As for Paolini, her state of grace is slowly winding down too, and she will return to being a 25-75 ranked player, where she belongs.

Even the top-top players like Swiatek and Rybakina seem more inconsistent and mentally shaky than usual, so I expect some weird stuff to be happening with the top 10 this season. Only Sabalenka seems relatively consistent, at least in her approach, although she also has days where she struggles to control her power.

There are some good players right now, but none of them are greats. We are in a era without anyone that really even approaches the level, and more importantly consistency, of the true greats.
 
Kralingen said:
Why does Tauson play Sabalenka so well?
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Because she is able to overpower her.
Remember someone saying Tauson played so well against Sabalenka in Australian Open, because she had nothing to lose and went all out. I answered that Tauson just plays like that going for her shots and today it showed as well.

Remember Tauson also beat Madison Keys before Australian Open. Tauson has effortless power on both wings.
 
Doha 1000 QF’s:

Tauson v Noskova
#14 Muchova v Cirstea

#6 Rybakina v Kenin
#12 Andreeva v #2 Swiatek

That sure is…. Something. Heavy on the bottom half for sure.
 
Wouldn’t hate Noskova v Muchova and Rybakina v Swiatek for the SF.

But yeesh yesterday was a blood bath for the top 10 seeds.

Sabalenka, Pegula, Navarro, Badosa, Paolini all losing.
 
Gotta have the pic.

GkLKr-DW0AA4BO7
 
Gotta give it to to Cirstea. The woman knows to show up at least once a year at a big event to hang around the top 100.

Kinda thought she was older than 34 because it feels like she’s been doing this for so long but mad kudos to her. She’s always there hanging around. Just like the Kaia Kanepi’s of the world at the slams.
 
Olli Jokinen said:
Clara Tauson really kicked butt today. Lovely to see. That girl is good.
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Yes, but her tennis isn't the best to watch. Sort of like Ostapenko, it's interesting at first, but then it gets tiring to see someone just hitting everything huge and hoping to have a good day.

Aussie Darcy said:
Doha 1000 QF’s:
Tauson v Noskova
#14 Muchova v Cirstea

#6 Rybakina v Kenin
#12 Andreeva v #2 Swiatek
That sure is…. Something. Heavy on the bottom half for sure.
Click to expand...
Wow, a string of matches between super attractive, classy women (Bencic v Navarro, Navarro v Cristea, Cristea v Muchova)...

And I'm happy to see Andreeva going on a nice little run. Would LOVE to see her beat Swiatek. Love it.
 
Aussie Darcy said:
Doha 1000 QF’s:

Tauson v Noskova
#14 Muchova v Cirstea

#6 Rybakina v Kenin
#12 Andreeva v #2 Swiatek

That sure is…. Something. Heavy on the bottom half for sure.
Click to expand...
The WTA is so difficult to get invested in. I hope it's just early season inconsistency at fault here. Are the Doha/Dubai tournaments usually like this in terms of the draw being a mashup of random players by the time you get to the later rounds?

I get these other players have qualities - this discussion came up when I mentioned it last week about Doha - but you'd still like to see most of the big faces of the game get through in big tournaments like this. Anisimova and Ostapenko losing early in this tournament illustrates a big reason why that's important. Whether they're quality parents in their own right or not it's not like you can count on them any more than you can the top players.

Anyway, I'm ranting.
 
Down_the_line said:
The WTA is so difficult to get invested in. I hope it's just early season inconsistency at fault here. Are the Doha/Dubai tournaments usually like this in terms of the draw being a mashup of random players by the time you get to the later rounds?

I get these other players have qualities - this discussion came up when I mentioned it last week about Doha - but you'd still like to see most of the big faces of the game get through in big tournaments like this. Anisimova and Ostapenko losing early in this tournament illustrates a big reason why that's important. Whether they're quality parents in their own right or not it's not like you can count on them anymore than you can the top players.

Anyway, I'm ranting.
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Dubai was messy last year too with the final being between a then very unknown and unseeded Jasmine Paolini defeating a then unknown qualifier Anna Kalinskaya.

Paolini had a dream draw facing unseeded Cirstea in the SF and a walkover from Rybakina in the QF (one of many by Elena last year).

The QF’s were better than this year though, they were:
#1 Swiatek v #6 Zheng
#3 Gauff v Kalinskaya
Paolini v #4 Rybakina
#7 Vondrousova v Cirstea

But the players you’d expect to win did not. And it was Iga v Kalinskaya and Paolini v Cirstea in the SF.
 
Aussie Darcy said:
Dubai was messy last year too with the final being between a then very unknown and unseeded Jasmine Paolini defeating a then unknown qualifier Anna Kalinskaya.

Paolini had a dream draw facing unseeded Cirstea in the SF and a walkover from Rybakina in the QF (one of many by Elena last year).

The QF’s were better than this year though, they were:
#1 Swiatek v #6 Zheng
#3 Gauff v Kalinskaya
Paolini v #4 Rybakina
#7 Vondrousova v Cirstea

But the players you’d expect to win did not. And it was Iga v Kalinskaya and Paolini v Cirstea in the SF.
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At least Paolini did go on to back that result up though in a big way last year. Now she's the world #4.

Not a bad draw last year at all. Notable that Sabalenka was absent from the later rounds last year as well. Looking over her performance timeline clearly Dubai isn't her forte, though she has a couple QF's on her resume.
 
Down_the_line said:
At least Paolini did go on to back that result up though in a big way last year. Now she's the world #4.

Not a bad draw last year at all. Notable that Sabalenka was absent from the later rounds last year as well. Looking over her performance timeline clearly Dubai isn't her forte, though she has a couple QF's on her resume.
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I think the Middle East conditions and randomness of the calendar leads to some upsets. Swiatek really only seems to be the one who’s handled it well in terms of going deep.

But yeah this year is a mess.
 
robyrolfo said:
Yes, but her tennis isn't the best to watch. Sort of like Ostapenko, it's interesting at first, but then it gets tiring to see someone just hitting everything huge and hoping to have a good day.


Wow, a string of matches between super attractive, classy women (Bencic v Navarro, Navarro v Cristea, Cristea v Muchova)...

And I'm happy to see Andreeva going on a nice little run. Would LOVE to see her beat Swiatek. Love it.
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If you watch her more, you will notice that she is not just a ball basher. She was pretty much every shot in her arsenal. Huge serve(most aces this year), huge groundstrokes on both wings, nice backhand slice, nice dropshots, good volleys. Only her movements is still not the best, but she has been held back by injuries a lot 2-3 years ago. Much fitter now even if not ideal.
 
spystud said:
Their biggest mistake was making both a 1000. It made more sense alternating the two every year. Doha really doesn't deserve 1000 status yearly.
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Or keep them both as 1000 but put Abu Dhabi in the middle instead of at the front. That way the people who are successful in Doha aren't cooked at the start of the next 1000
 
This is Swiatek’s worst start to a year since 2020.

In 2021 she won the Adelaide 500 in Jan.
In 2022 she won the Doha 1000 in Feb.
In 2023 she won the Doha 500 and was runner up at the Dubai 1000
In 2024 she won the Doha 1000.

This year no finals or titles going into Indian Wells. SF at the AO and Doha and QF here in Dubai. Not awful but nothing significant.
 
robyrolfo said:
Another loss for Gauff, that's two losses in two matches in these Master's 1000s, both to unseeded opponents.

So much for progress and turning things around...


He doesn't get it. He has a thing for Collins for some reason.

I'll just add (to bolster your argument) that Collins is not only American (so playing and traveling in her home country) she is from Florida, so was really "at home" during Miami, with Charleston being very close by. There really is no comparison.


I just look at their careers. Bencic is a much, much better player. And Bencic had an issue with getting tight in the latter stages of slams. Both Raducanu and Fernandez benefitted tremendously from some of their higher ranked opponents getting flustered at the idea of missing out on a huge slam opportunity at the hands of some unknowns they were supposed to easily beat. (More Fernandez than Raducanu, though, because Emma's draw was a complete joke).
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Bencic may be a better player but once you step on the court that doesn’t matter you must perform in that moment period. Emma had never come close to latter stage of slam yet she performed and you give her no credit? This woman went through qualifying and main draw undefeated and everyone is soooo desperate to find a way to discredit her. Very strange
 
Iga's getting figured out by the tour, at least on hards. She still has her clay and RG fortress - will be interesting to see who will challenge her in May/June. Actually, has she won any title since last year's French Open?
 
robyrolfo said:
Yes, but her tennis isn't the best to watch. Sort of like Ostapenko, it's interesting at first, but then it gets tiring to see someone just hitting everything huge and hoping to have a good day.


Wow, a string of matches between super attractive, classy women (Bencic v Navarro, Navarro v Cristea, Cristea v Muchova)...

And I'm happy to see Andreeva going on a nice little run. Would LOVE to see her beat Swiatek. Love it.
Click to expand...
I think she has great point construction and pretty shots. Very talented player. Attitude and fitness are issues, but she’s finally getting there.
 
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robyrolfo said:
When someone here said not to read too much into the WTA finals (ahem, ahem), some people scoffed. But the WTA finals has been a strange event for quite a few years now. Between the venue issues and players showing up out of gas and disinterested, you can't read too much into it.

Zheng is a streaky player and clearly still needs tons of confidence to play her best. Gauff still has big issues with her game, and while some do seem technical, a lot of that also comes from between the ears.

As for Paolini, her state of grace is slowly winding down too, and she will return to being a 25-75 ranked player, where she belongs.

Even the top-top players like Swiatek and Rybakina seem more inconsistent and mentally shaky than usual, so I expect some weird stuff to be happening with the top 10 this season. Only Sabalenka seems relatively consistent, at least in her approach, although she also has days where she struggles to control her power.

There are some good players right now, but none of them are greats. We are in a era without anyone that really even approaches the level, and more importantly consistency, of the true greats.
Click to expand...
That last part is true if you only look at 2025. Still only 23, Swiatek is more than on pace to exceed Justine Henin's and Venus Williams' 7 majors and has already surpassed both in weeks at #1. Both Henin and Venus are definitely among the top 10 players of the past 50 years.
 
Really happy to see Andreeva beat Swiatek. Party because Swiatek has been dominant during this swing in the past, so it's nice to change that up, but mostly because Andreeva getting in the mix of the top players is a great little story for the sport.

dxc said:
If you watch her more, you will notice that she is not just a ball basher. She was pretty much every shot in her arsenal. Huge serve(most aces this year), huge groundstrokes on both wings, nice backhand slice, nice dropshots, good volleys. Only her movements is still not the best, but she has been held back by injuries a lot 2-3 years ago. Much fitter now even if not ideal.
Click to expand...
Does she actually come to the net and volley often, though? And is her backhand slice nice by current WTA standards, or actually nice?

I'll be fair and give her another watch, but in the past I didn't see anything special, just an inferior version of Ostapenko without all the fun facial gestures.
spystud said:
Abu Dhabi has only been around for 3 years. Alternating Doha/Dubai as the big boy was the correct plan.
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None of these have ever felt important or significant enough to be 1000 level tournaments. But limiting it to only one of them at least helps boost the significance slightly.

Aussie Darcy said:
This is Swiatek’s worst start to a year since 2020.
...
This year no finals or titles going into Indian Wells. SF at the AO and Doha and QF here in Dubai. Not awful but nothing significant.
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But a world #1, or someone trying to be the world #1 should probably do better.

austintennis2005 said:
Bencic may be a better player but once you step on the court that doesn’t matter you must perform in that moment period. Emma had never come close to latter stage of slam yet she performed and you give her no credit? This woman went through qualifying and main draw undefeated and everyone is soooo desperate to find a way to discredit her. Very strange
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Nobody needs to FIND a way to discredit her, she has already done it herself! No rational person denies that her USO win was a complete fluke (much like Fernandez's run to the final).

And the point is that Bencic didn't perform in that moment, because the moment got to her. We know Bencic is a better player, but she couldn't handle being the big favorite.
 
zvelf said:
That last part is true if you only look at 2025. Still only 23, Swiatek is more than on pace to exceed Justine Henin's and Venus Williams' 7 majors and has already surpassed both in weeks at #1. Both Henin and Venus are definitely among the top 10 players of the past 50 years.
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I don't love the term "weak era," but Swiatek is benefitting tremendously from an absence of quality competition. Henin and Venus "only" won 7 slams, but look who they had to deal with. Not only each other, but Serena, Hingis, Clijsters, Sharapova... a whole bunch of players that would easily be world #1 right now.
 
robyrolfo said:
Really happy to see Andreeva beat Swiatek. Party because Swiatek has been dominant during this swing in the past, so it's nice to change that up, but mostly because Andreeva getting in the mix of the top players is a great little story for the sport.


Does she actually come to the net and volley often, though? And is her backhand slice nice by current WTA standards, or actually nice?

I'll be fair and give her another watch, but in the past I didn't see anything special, just an inferior version of Ostapenko without all the fun facial gestures.

None of these have ever felt important or significant enough to be 1000 level tournaments. But limiting it to only one of them at least helps boost the significance slightly.


But a world #1, or someone trying to be the world #1 should probably do better.


Nobody needs to FIND a way to discredit her, she has already done it herself! No rational person denies that her USO win was a complete fluke (much like Fernandez's run to the final).

And the point is that Bencic didn't perform in that moment, because the moment got to her. We know Bencic is a better player, but she couldn't handle being the big favorite.
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Tauson has much more to her game than Ostapenko, who mostly hit flat and topspin and is really good at that. Tauson does not rush to the net, but is comfortable with her volleys. Generally I think she has very good hands and feeling and touch with the ball.
Her slice is good, not just by WTA standards. Watch highlights of her match against Noskova and compare her slice to Noskova's:-D
 
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