Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Doha match.
Maria Sakkari has struggled to return to her previous level in 2025 and has fallen out of the top 30 for the first time in five years. Meanwhile, Iga Świątek arrives in Doha as the three-time defending champion and outright favourite. The Polish world No.1 hasn’t lost on these courts for three years and is determined to claim a fourth consecutive title.
Maria Sakkari
The 29-year-old Greek has been struggling against top-10 opponents, losing her last five matches against them. In 2025, she has managed just three wins on hard courts, and her overall win rate on this surface is a modest 37%. Sakkari’s serve has been inconsistent, winning over 65% of points on her first serve in just three of her eight matches this year. Against Świątek, her record is poor—she hasn’t won a single set in their last three meetings, and their hard-court encounters have consistently seen under 18.5 games land.
Iga Świątek
The world No.1 continues to dominate in 2025. On hard courts, she has an impressive 82% win rate (9-2), and in Doha, she has won 12 matches in a row since 2022. Świątek thrives in opening matches, winning with a margin of seven or more games in 9 of her 12 Doha victories. She has also been dominant in WTA-1000 tournaments, winning her first match with a nine-game margin or more in four of her last five events at this level.
Maria Sakkari vs Iga Świątek Prediction
Sakkari struggles against elite opponents, has an unreliable serve, and now faces the No.1 player in the world. Świątek is on a three-year winning streak in Doha and is unlikely to drop a set against an out-of-form rival.
