Tennis
2026-02-09 - Mirra Andreeva vs Magda Linette
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
Tennis : WTA 1000 Doha Second Round
Monday 9th February 2025 - Scheduled 8pm
5pm (British Time)
Preview
Reaching the Fourth Round of a Grand Slam would be seen as a positive for most 18 year olds, but that is not the case for the current World Number 7.
After reaching the Quarter Final in Brisbane and then winning the title in Auckland, Mirra Andreeva looked to have plenty of momentum to take into the first Grand Slam of the season. She made a decent enough start to the event, but the performance in the Fourth Round defeat to Elina Svitolina will have really been one that disappointed her and her team and Andreeva will be looking to bounce back in Doha and Dubai over the next couple of weeks.
Big Ranking points are on offer in those events, but looking too far ahead would be a mistake and Mirra Andreeva will be aware of the threat this opponent poses.
Magda Linette has started the season with a 5-2 record and she did upset Emma Navarro at the Australian Open, although the latter has been in poor form for several months. The two defeats were both in one-sided contests, including a crushing loss at the hands of Karolina Muchova in Melbourne, while Magda Linette has mainly feasted on beating those further down the World Rankings.
She battled past Sonay Kartal in the First Round in Doha, but Linette is going to have to be a lot better if she is going to upset one of the top Seeds in the tournament.
With Aryna Sabalenka missing, Mirra Andreeva has to be amongst the favourites to win the title in either Doha or Dubai, and her overall numbers remain very impressive.
The first serve continues to be an improving weapon for the young player and Mirra Andreeva can be a very dangerous returner when at her best.
The expectation is that Andreeva is going to be able to attack Magda Linette in plenty of the games played on the Linette serve, and that should keep the scoreboard pressure on the lower Ranked player.
Of course it has to be respected that Magda Linette has played a match here meaning having some experience of the conditions, while Mirra Andreeva is playing her first match two weeks. This could mean needing a bit more time to find her feet, but the World Number 7 should have a considerable edge on the serve and that has been the case in the three previous matches on the Tour.
They have not faced one another since the latter part of the 2024 season, but Mirra Andreeva is improved since that match in Beijing which she dominated and she can move through the gears to produce something like a 6-4, 6-2 kind of win in the Second Round here.
Last year Mirra Andreeva was beaten in the Third Round in Doha before winning the title in Dubai and she can make a positive start to her return to the Middle East.
Prediction
Lay the games with the top ten Ranked player in this Second Round match in Doha.
The Pick :
Mirra Andreeva 2-0 Magda Linette
