49th-ranked Shelby Rogers will face Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi in the first round of the 2021 WTA Dubai on Monday, March 8. The match is yet to be scheduled. Get the live streaming options of this Shelby Rogers v Kaia Kanepi match along with its preview, head to head, and tips here.
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Shelby Rogers v Kaia Kanepi Head to Head
No matches have been played between them on the WTA circuit but they did meet once at the ITF level way back in 2014 in a tournament on clay. Kanepi had won that one in straight sets.
Also Read:
Rogers Showing Signs of Returning to Best
It was in 2017 when Rogers touched her career-best ranking of 48th in the world, but with fitness issues and form troubles, the American has often found herself struggling to maintain that spot.
The very next year she hit a rock-bottom of 786th ranked on the charts, was 177th in 2019 and finally saw a real upswing towards the end of the previous year when she ended 2020 ranked 60th.
This season, she has done enough to move the needle – and a tough one at that given the change in the calculations for the rankings – and move up to 49th on the charts, just one away from her career-best.
And this has been possible thanks to her performances in Australia where she first made it to the quarterfinal at the Yarra Valley Classic with a win over Petra Martic and then the fourth round at the Australian Open after sending out Anett Kontaveit.
With a win over Johanna Konta in Adelaide after that helping her reach the quarterfinals there, she looks to have the form on her side to break her best ranking. Up against her, however, is another player who is showing signs of resurrection.
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Kanepi Looking Good for a Turnaround
Veteran Estonian Kanepi was as high as 15th in the world in 2012, but since then her ranking has plummetted badly and after going through some crazy swings, she kickstarted the season ranked 94th in the world.
Couple of months later, she has now improved by more than 30 ranks on the charts, and that has been thanks to her performances at the Gippsland Trophy and then the Australian Open.
Kanepi stunned Aryna Sabalenka, Daria Kasatkina and Karolina Muchova at the former to make it to the final where she went down to Elise Mertens, and then shocked Anastasija Sevastova and Sofia Kenin at the Australian Open to enter the third round there. And while she lost to Donna Vekic – in a tough, three-setter no less – the signs that she is back playing at her best look to be there.
Here, Kanepi has needed back to back three-setters, both with a tie-breaker in it, to make it to the main draw. But now she faces a tougher challenge in the form of a player who herself has turned things around dramatically.
Rogers v Kanepi Prediction and Tip
Rogers starts off a slightly second favourite at 1/1 which looks to be tempting odds to go for given the form she has shown all season.
Tip: Rogers to win: 1/1 (bet365)
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The 2021 WTA Dubai Open will be played from March 8 to 14. You can watch & bet on these matches here. Get your latest premium tennis predictions here.
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