There will be a busy week of tennis action on both the WTA and ATP Tours next week, as the best players will be in action. The most appealing event looks set to be the WTA 1000 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, as some of the best female players will be in action at Aviation Club Tennis Centre. Meanwhile, the Rio Open will also be an engaging event.
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship Overview & Contenders
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship is one of the most prestigious events on the WTA Tour this season. It gets underway on February 19, with the final taking place on February 25. Last year, the event was won by Jelena Ostapenko, but she will face a tough fight to defend her title.
Iga Swiatek will be one of the outstanding players involved throughout the tournament, as she bids to bounce back following a fourth-round exit in the Australian Open. She has already returned to form in the Qatar Open, as she has reached the semi-final stage.
Australian Open finalists Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will both also be in action at the event, with the latter previously reaching the final in the event.
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship Prediction
However, one player that we believe will have an excellent chance of success this year is Brazilian star Beatriz Haddad Maia.
The 26-year-old recently reached the semi-final stage at the Qatar Open, and she is an excellent player on this surface. She has won two career titles to date, and is playing her peak tennis at present, as Maia sits in a career-high position of 12th in the world rankings.
Pick: Beatriz Haddad Maia at BetXchange.
Rio Open Overview & Contenders
There is also action on the ATP Tour next week, as the WTA 500 event in Rio gets underway on Wednesday. The official players that will be making appearances at the event is yet to be announced, but there is expected to be some standout stars involved throughout the competition.
Rafael Nadal won the inaugural edition of the event in 2014, but he is unlikely to play a role in the event this year. Chilean star Cristian Garin could be a player that many will be attracted to in the betting, as he previously claimed a victory in the event in 2020.
Diego Schwartzman should also be a leading contender for success this year. The Argentine won the competition in 2018, before he was a beaten finalist in straight sets in last year’s edition of the competition.
Rio 500 Predictions
We are most excited about seeing Carlos Alcaraz back on the court in Brazil next week. The Spanish star was forced to miss out on the Australian Open this year through injury, but he looks a solid contender this year to land a second Grand Slam success at the French Open.
He also comes into the event as the defending champion, having landed a dominant win 12 months ago. We could see him becoming the first-ever player to successfully retain the Rio 500 title next week.
