Sloane Stephens vs Clara Burel Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Dubai Tennis Championships

Prediction published on 17/02/2024, 13:17  by Nella Wagah in Tennis Predictions

Sloane Stephens, unseeded, and the qualifier Clara Burel, meet in the first round at the Dubai Tennis Championship. The winner will then play top seed Iga Swiatek for a place in the third round. Sloane Stephens is returning to Dubai after a 10-year hiatus. She will hope to make a winning return and end her current slump. The American, who is having a poor start to the year, has lost her last two matches. She was defeated in the first round in Doha last time out and has now lost four times in seven outings. Stephens has never won a first-round match in this WTA 1000 event in two appearances here. She is currently ranked 41st in the live ranking.

Clara Burel is ranked six places behind Stephens in the live ranking at number 47. The Frenchwoman is having a far better start to the year than her American opponent and has so far compiled an 8-4 record. Six of her wins have come on hard courts. Burel made the quarterfinals in Linz in her last tournament. She also had a third-round finish in Melbourne which was her best-ever result at the major. Burel made her Dubai debut last season but was unable to get past the qualifying rounds. She hasn’t suffered the same fate this time around. The 22-year-old defeated Eva Lys in straight sets in her final qualifier.