Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Doha match.
Caroline Garcia (76th) struggled to reach the second round, and now she faces one of last season’s standout players, Jasmine Paolini (4th). Will this be an easy victory for the Italian?
Caroline Garcia
In the first round of this WTA 1000 event, Garcia played Yuan Yue. The first set was smooth sailing—6:1, but in the second, she nearly let it slip. Garcia led 5:3, but lost her serve, allowing the Chinese player to make it 5:6. On her final serve, Yuan had a break point, but Garcia managed to hold. In the tie-break, she kept her cool—7:5.
Jasmine Paolini
The Frenchwoman has faced Paolini eight times, with Garcia leading their head-to-head (5-3). However, the Italian has won three of their last four encounters. In 2023, when Paolini was still far from her peak, she defeated Garcia twice in three-set battles. By spring 2023, at the Madrid Open, she comfortably beat her (6:3, 6:2).
Caroline Garcia vs Jasmine Paolini Prediction
This year, Paolini has lost only two of her six matches, and both defeats came against top-30 players. Garcia is nowhere near that level at the moment—she's ranked 76th and missed the end of last season. Paolini should break Garcia at least once per set.
