See below for our daily tennis tips and best bets around the courts for Thursday February 20 at the WTA Dubai and ATP Doha tournaments, including the top tips and players to back in our tennis betting markets!
Clara Tauson and Linda Noskova lock horns for the second time already in 2025, aiming to parlay their giant-killing efforts so far at the Dubai Tennis Championships into a semi-final appearance.
After winning the Auckland Open, Tauson defeated Noskova 5-7 6-3 6-4 in the first round of the Australian Open.
The Danish 22-year-old inched to No.38 in the rankings by following up her third-round AO loss to Aryna Sabalenka with a semi-final run at the Linz Open.
She has been on fire in Dubai, defeating Rebecca Sramkova (7-6 6-0), Elina Svitolina (7-6 3-6 7-6) and Sabalenka (6-3 6-2).
World No.35 Noskova has flourished since a disappointing Australian swing, beating Paula Badosa on her way to the Abu Dhabi Open semis, and thrashing Donna Vekic and Yulia Putintseva before taking a set off Iga Swiatek at the Qatar Open.
Noskova, 20, has knocked over another three higher-ranked players this week in Putintseva (6-2 7-5), Diana Shnaider (7-6 4-6 6-3) and Jessica Pegula (6-3 7-6).
Both tyros’ confidence will be justifiably sky-high ahead of this clash after disposing of some of WTA Tour’s biggest names yesterday.
Expect another super-tight showdown between the rising pair, with Tauson the value option as a $2.38 underdog.
Aiming to avoid becoming another shock high-profile casualty at the Dubai Tennis Championships, world No.6 Elena Rybakina takes on a resurgent Sofia Kenin in the quarter-finals.
Rybakina is 2-0 against Kenin, chalking up wins at this tournament in 2020 and at Indian Wells in 2023.
Yet to get into full stride in 2025, former Wimbledon champ Rybakina lost to Madison Keys in the fourth round of the Australian Open, Belinda Bencic in the Abu Dhabi semis and Iga Swiatek in the Qatar Open quarters.
This week she cruised past Moyuka Uchijima 6-3 6-2 before saving six match points to win a marathon encounter with Paula Badosa 4-6 7-6 7-6.
Kenin has moved to No.56 in the rankings and is 8-5 in 2025. Halted by Ons Jabeur in the Round of 16 in Doha last week, Kenin has claimed three top-25 scalps so far in Dubai: Donna Vekic (7-5 6-3), Marta Kostyuk (5-7 7-6 7-6) and world No.4 Jasmine Paolini (6-4 6-0).
Rybakina heads in as a hot $1.20 favourite, but five of her last nine matches have gone to three sets and Kenin has been in vintage touch here so far.
Alex de Minaur’s Qatar Open campaign ramps with a quarter-final showdown against top-10 rival Andrey Rublev.
De Minaur holds a 4-3 advantage against Rublev, bouncing back from losses at the 2023 Paris Masters and 2024 Australian Open with a tight victory at the Rotterdam Open last February.
The Aussie is 10-2 on the tour this season, reaching the Australian Open quarters and Rotterdam final – losing to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, respectively. He’s barely been troubled this week in wins over Roman Safiullin (6-1 7-5) and Botic Van de Zandschulp (6-4 6-4).
Rublev made a slow start to the season but is on the improve. He lost in three sets to Hubert Hurkacz in the Rotterdam quarters, while he’s chalked up convincing wins over Alexander Bublik and Nuno Borges by identical 6-3 6-4 scorelines in Doha.
Both players are aiming to snap fairly lengthy top-10 win droughts, but de Minaur boasts a far more reliable formline in recent months and can be backed with confidence here.
Felix Auger-Aliassime is searching for his third ATP title of the season already, but world No.5 Daniil Medvedev shapes as a formidable quarter-final obstacle at the Qatar Open.
Medvedev has dominated this rivalry, winning seven of their eight encounters. Auger-Aliassime took out the most recent clash, however, at the Paris Olympics – though Medvedev is 7-0 against the Canadian on hard courts.
Climbing to No.23 in the rankings after winning the Adelaide International and Open Occitanie either side of an early Australian Open exit, Auger-Aliassime retired against Andrea Vavassori in Rotterdam with the match tied one set apiece.
But he bounced back with a three-set win over Quentin Halys in the first round in Doha, before getting a Round of 16 walkover.
Medvedev has been out of sorts in 2025, crashing to Learner Tien at the Australian Open, Mattia Bellucci at the Rotterdam Open and Hamad Medjedovic at the Open 13. He battled past Karen Khachanov 4-6 7-5 6-3 on Tuesday then made short work of Zizou Bergs 6-2 6-1.
Auger-Aliassime has one top-10 win to his credit in 2025 – Taylor Fritz at the United Cup – and should take Medvedev deep here, even if his trademark booming serve may struggle to fully break down the brilliant Russian’s counterpunching.