Emma Navarro can book a place in the last 16 of a WTA singles event for a third successive occasion when she faces Belinda Bencic on Tuesday at the Dubai Championship.
The #8 ranked player in this tournament is coming off a quarter-final defeat versus Iga Swiatek (1-6 2-6) at the Australian Open, while Bencic got past Aoi Ito in straight sets (6-0 6-2) to advance into this stage of the competition.
Match preview
© Imago
Emma Navarro continues to put together some strong showings at Grand Slam events but seems to have trouble in the smaller tournaments on tour.
The American has reached a pair of quarter-finals and one semi-final in the last three Grand Slam events but has not made it beyond the round of 32 in two of her last three non-Grand Slam competitions.
Earlier this year, she did win her first WTA singles title at the Hobart International over Elise Mertens (6-1 4-6 7-5) and will be seeking her second trophy on the hard court this year.
At this tournament last year, Navarro was stunned by Maria Sakkari of Greece in the round of 32, losing that clash in two sets (2-6 4-6).
In 105 service games played in 2025, the 2024 US Open semi-finalist has only won 40.2% of her second serves and 61.2% of her first ones, amounting to a total of 56.2% of service games won.
On the opposite side, Navarro has been solid, winning 61% of her return points in 2025 and converting 43.6% of her break point opportunities.
© Imago
It was quite the moment for Belinda Bencic at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open earlier this month, with the Swiss player storming back to defeat Ashlyn Krueger 4-6 6-1 6-1.
That was her first tournament victory since welcoming her first child into the world 10 months ago, and she was able to share the moment with her daughter.
The former Olympic gold medallist in 2021 has made up for all of that lost time with some strong performances this year, making it to the last 16 or further in her last three singles events, losing at that stage of the Australian Open in January versus American Coco Gauff (7-5 2-6 1-6).
In her opening match at this tournament, Bencic was impressive in the service game, winning 81% of her first serves, while she did not concede a single ace to her Japanese opponent.
She also made the most of her break point opportunities, winning half of them (5/10), giving her a chance to advance into the last 16 at the Dubai Championship for a second consecutive year, having ousted Marta Kostyuk in the round of 32 in 2024 (6-7 7-6 6-4).
So far this year, Bencic has won 59.1% of her service points while saving 54.1% of her break points and winning 65.5% of her first serves.
Tournament so far
Belinda Bencic:
Round of 64: vs. Aoi Ity 6-0 6-2
We say: Bencic to win in three sets
Bencic is riding high and getting back into the form we remember from a couple of years ago, so we believe her experience in close games will enable her to have a slight edge on Tuesday.
Joel Lefevre
