There should be plenty of entertaining on day two at WTA Dubai with a number of star names set to be in action. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the slate, including Amanda Anisimova vs Barbora Krejcikova as the first round of the tournament comes to a close. But who will reach the second round in Dubai?

WTA Dubai Day 2 Predictions
Iva Jovic vs Kamila Rakhimova

Head-to-head: Jovic 1-0 Rakhimova

Kamila Rakhimova fought incredibly to come through the qualifying phase after a disappointing start to 2026. Iva Jovic, meanwhile, has been improving every week and looks like a player who could push toward the top ten in the rankings by the end of the season. The American is also well rested after skipping Doha and should have enough firepower and tactical clarity in this matchup to overcome Rakhimova’s scrambling edge.

Prediction: Jovic in 2

Jaqueline Cristian vs Victoria Mboko

Head-to-head: first meeting

Jaqueline Cristian and Victoria Mboko clash in a matchup of contrasting styles, as Cristian will look to play as aggressively as possible while Mboko relies on her superior movement and defensive skills to frustrate her opponent. Mboko enters this contest as the better and more in-form player, carrying greater confidence, fresh from reaching the final in Qatar. Her return, backhand exchanges, and defensive advantages should prove decisive.

Prediction: Mboko in 2

Sorana Cirstea vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich

Head-to-head: first meeting

Sorana Cirstea and Aliaksandra Sasnovich both aim to take time away from their opponent, with Cirstea offering more variety through net approaches and touch, while Sasnovich brings slightly greater baseline power though still a fair degree of guile and court-craft. In what is her final season on tour, Cirstea produced an emotional title run in her hometown earlier this month, and that momentum may carry her through at least one more round.

Prediction: Cirstea in 3

Belinda Bencic vs Jessica Bouzas Maneiro

Head-to-head: first meeting

Belinda Bencic started the season as one of the most in-form players on tour before a surprising second-round exit at the Australian Open. The Swiss then took time off to reset. Now facing Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on a surface that clearly favours her game, Bencic should take care of business against an opponent whose last tour-level victory came back in October of last year and doesn’t usually thrive on quicker hard courts.

Prediction: Bencic in 2

Main photo credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images