Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Preview
When the year began, I wrote that we might see these two face off in a Grand Slam final in 2025. The 23-year-old Pole and the 17-year-old Russian had played once before, in Cincinnati last summer, and it went down to the wire. Swiatek won 7-5 in the third set, but Andreeva stayed with her, and often outplayed her, to the end.
Neither has burst out of the gates so far in 2025, and neither has a title. Andreeva chose her biggest match of the year, against Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open, to have one of her worst days. But both women have been good overall—Swiatek is 14-3, Andreeva 10-3. This is typically the time of the season when Iga picks up steam, and it may be for Andreeva as well. The teenager has already shown that she can play well on clay and U.S. hard courts, which she’ll see in a few weeks in Indian Wells.
Neither has dropped a set so far this week. The question may be which Andreeva we’ll see: The one who was at her best against Swiatek last summer, or the one who wasn’t close to her best against Sabalenka in Melbourne?
It’s always a risk picking against Iga, because she can beat just about anyone 6-2, 6-0 on a given day. But I’ll say that Andreeva will be ready, and her strong serve and backhand will help. Winner: Swiatek—Steve Tignor
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