Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Doha match.
Both players had a shaky start to the season, but Paula Badosa has already shown promise at the Australian Open, while Siniaková has struggled to make an impact.
Paula Badosa
The Spaniard started the Australian swing poorly. She was eliminated from the first round in Brisbane and reached only the second round in Adelaide. However, in both cases, she faced opponents ranked in the mid-top 100. At the Australian Open, though, Badosa hit her stride, making it to the semi-finals, where she was stopped by world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (4:6, 2:6). Notably, she also defeated third seed Coco Gauff (7:5, 6:4) in the process.
Kateřina Siniaková
The Czech skipped Brisbane and, after qualifying in Adelaide, was knocked out in the first round by seeded Diana Shnaider (3:6, 6:0, 0:6). At the Australian Open, Siniaková was unlucky with the draw, facing world No. 2 Iga Świątek in the first round—losing 3:6, 4:6. However, it wasn't just bad luck. At the Linz tournament in late January, she suffered another first-round elimination against 49th-ranked Elina Avanesyan (3:6, 2:6).
Paula Badosa vs Kateřina Siniaková Prediction
Paula Badosa is ranked inside the WTA top 10, while Siniaková is down at No. 53. Moreover, in the Elo rankings on hard courts, Badosa is 47 places ahead of the Czech.
