If Andreeva is able to consistently get balls back, and make Swiatek go big to try and blow shots by her, the Pole could get in her own head and start missing wildly. We have seen over the years that Swiatek’s toughest opponent is often herself. She can start spiraling a bit when things aren’t going her way, and unforced errors start to pile up when that happens. Well, facing a player that has the potential to out-Iga her in her favorite conditions could very well do that. The match they played against one another in Doha was rather lopsided, with Andreeva earning a 6-3, 6-3 win. Andreeva was also broken only once in that match, and she broke Swiatek four times.
It’s just possible that this is about to be one of the sports main rivalries sooner than people think. Andreeva is proving this week that Dubai wasn’t a fluke. It was a sign of things to come. So, let’s see what the 17-year-old can do here. And if we do see another strong showing from Andreeva, you might want to throw in some futures on the young Russian to win majors. Her maiden Grand Slam title is right around the corner, and being earlier is always better than being late.
Pick: Andreeva ML (+167)