An intriguing second round match-up is scheduled to take place in the opening round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, as Caroline Wozniacki and Sam Stosur will meet for the ninth time on the professional tour. The head-to-head series is tied at 4-4 after Stosur won their most recent encounter last season in Beijing.

Follow the match live here: Stosur v Wozniacki Live Stream

Wozniacki started off her 2015 season in style with an appearance in the final in Auckland, where she lost to the resurgent Venus Williams. However, things took a turn for the worse afterwards, as Wozniacki retired from her opening match in the Sydney, and failed to embark on a strong run in Melbourne at the Aussie Open. She defeated Taylor Townsend in the opening round before losing to Victoria Azarenka in the second round.

Article Continues Below Ad

“It’s nice to look around before I get down to the hard work this week. I’m so happy to be back in Dubai, I love this event. I’ve won it in the past and have lots of wonderful memories. We’re heading to the hotel now – we stay in the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel. It’s a great hotel, the staff are all really nice. It’s also right on the grounds of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium so it’s the shortest commute of the season!”

Sam Stosur has had a turbulent start to her 2015 season, as she reached the second round in Brisbane, where she lost to Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, and then fell in the same round in Sydney to Coco Vandeweghe. She then went on to lose in the second round of the Australian Open to Angelique Kerber. She is coming off a win against Australia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in Fed Cup action.

Wozniacki and Stosur have crossed paths on eight different occasions on the WTA tour, with the series tied 4-4. Stosur has proven more efficient on hard courts and leads that series 2-1. Based simply off their more recent performances on the tour, the confident Caroline should route Stosur in straight sets.

Prediction: Caroline Wozniacki in Three Sets