By Tony FairbairnCoco Gauff [3] v Elina Svitolina [7]Amanda Anisimova [2] v Jessica Pegula [4]DUBAI, UAE – Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova are aiming for Australian Open revenge over Elina Svitolina and Jessica Pegula respectively in their bid to reach the final.
Coco Gauff [3] v Elina Svitolina [7] | H2H: Tied at 2-2
It was a dominant display from Coco Gauff as the American crushed Alexandra Eala’s Dubai dreams in order to move into the semi-finals. A mix of resilience and aggressive tennis has seen Gauff into the last four but now the American targets a WTA 1000 title in her bid to find her form and confidence at big events on a consistent basis. Standing in Gauff’s way is Elina Svitolina as the former champion has knocked out Belinda Bencic and Antonia Ruzic in her last two matches to reach the semi-finals.
H2H & Match FundamentalsCoco Gauff [3] v Elina Svitolina [7] H2H: Tied at 2-2 WTA Dubai 2026 Dubai, UAE Hard (O) Prize Money: $197,000Fourth on Center Court (Not before 15:00 GMT)Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required
There have been some tough moments for Gauff to start this season but the American will be glad to be finding her feet in Dubai.
The American will hope this continues as she targets WTA 1000 success in the Middle East in a bid to regain some momentum.
Standing in Gauff’s way is the player that knocked her out of the Australian Open in the form of Svitolina who continues her impressive form in Dubai.
The former champion will be hoping more Dubai success is waiting as she aims to continue her fine form to start the year.
After her quarter-final win Gauff admitted that she has been improving as the tournament has progressed.
“Each match, I’ve gotten better,” Gauff told the WTA website.
“I definitely wasn’t in good spirits before entering this tournament, but you know, one match can change everything. I honestly didn’t think I would be in the semis at the start of this, but I’m happy that I’m here.”
Meanwhile Svitolina praised lucky loser Ruzic after the Ukrainian overcame the Croatian to reach the last four.
“Antonia played unbelievable, to be fair,” Svitolina explained to the WTA website.
“I really had to step up my game. I had to bring something extra tonight, and I’m very happy with the way I could bounce back in the second set. And to win it in three gives me a lot of confidence.”
Gauff has to be aggressive on the first serve and will need to start the match much quicker than she did in Melbourne.
Meanwhile, Svitolina will aim to be accurate and aggressive on the backhand return as she looks to pin Gauff behind the baseline.
This will be a competitive contest with both players looking to dictate inside the baseline but having the defensive qualities to turn the rallies around.
In the end Svitolina will edge to victory and a place in the final in what should be a thrilling semi-final.
Prediction: Svitolina in three sets.
Amanda Anisimova [2] v Jessica Pegula [4] | H2H: Pegula leads 4-0
An emotional quarter-final saw Amanda Anisimova knock out defending champion Mirra Andreeva in a three set epic to reach the semi-finals. The second seed has continued her impressive last 12 months and will hope that continues as she aims to add a Dubai title to her Doha title from last season. Next up for Anisimova is Jessica Pegula as the American knocked out last year’s finalist Clara Tauson to reach the semi-finals in Dubai.
H2H & Match FundamentalsAmanda Anisimova [2] v Jessica Pegula [4] H2H: Pegula leads 4-0WTA Dubai 2026 Dubai, UAE Hard (O) Prize Money: $197,000Third on Center Court (Not before 13:00 GMT)Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required
After reaching two Grand Slam finals last year, Anisimova has continued her good form at the start of this season as she won a thrilling quarter-final against Andreeva.
Having won Doha last year, Anisimova looks to complete the Middle Eastern double by taking the crown in Dubai.
A tough task awaits Anisimova in the semi-finals as she takes on Pegula who has won four consecutive matches against Anisimova.
It’s now seven semi-finals since reaching the US Open semi-finals and Pegula will now aim to translate this consistency into success as she bids for the final in Dubai.
Ahead of the semi-final Anisimova spoke about the adjustments she made against Andreeva and showed sympathy for the defending champion in what was a tough battle.
“I feel I’m always learning when you play matches like that,” Anisimova told the WTA website.
“I’m expanding my game, and that’s something I feel likeI really want to get better at. Before the match that wasn’t really something in my mind. But as the match went on, she gets to every single ball. So I felt like I was trying different things, like drop shots, coming into the net, trying to use the court as much as I can because otherwise I don’t think that the point would finish if I just kept hitting the ball.
“It’s something I’ve also tried to get better at and improve in. I feel like I can play well at the net if I commit to it … We were just going back to back with it. We were both trying to play really aggressive. I feel like the game style shifted a lot of times throughout the match.
“It’s not easy to see someone that gives their all and then to react like that. It made me really sad for her. In my mind, I was just thinking if she keeps playing like this, there’s a title around the corner for her. Obviously she’s going to have a great year. She seems to be doing all the right things.”
Meanwhile, Pegula praised her serving improvements after knocking out last year’s finalist in Tauson.
“I think I’ve been serving a lot better,” Pegula told the WTA website.
“Physically been feeling good. Moving better again. I think I had a little bit of a chronic knee thing that’s been back and forth since probably over a year ago. There’s a lot of things. But honestly [I’ve] been working on my game a lot. I think I’ve become a better player over the last six months.”
Anisimova will aim to use the angles on the backhand side to force Pegula into uncomfortable positions on the court.
Meanwhile, the serve will be the key to victory for Pegula as she aims to dictate the tempo of the rallies.
This should be a big-hitting match-up between two in-form players with the slower conditions suiting Anisimova’s game more.
However, Pegula will once again find a way to win and book her place in Saturday’s final.
Prediction: Pegula in three sets.
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