Paula Badosa will look to keep her campaign at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships alive as she takes on seventh-seeded Elina Svitolina in the second round. Badosa has been inconsistent this season, whereas Svitolina has emerged as one of the most in-form players on the tour early in the year. As the seventh seed, Svitolina received a bye into the second round in Dubai, while Badosa defeated Kateřina Siniaková 6-3, 7-5 in the first round.
Paula Badosa vs Elina Svitolina Match Details
Date: Feb. 17, 2026
Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships 2026
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai, UAE
Surface: Outdoor hard
Category:Â WTA 1000
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, RDS, Sky Sports
Badosa vs Svitolina Head-to-Head
The head-to-head is 1-0 in favor of Svitolina. She won their only meeting, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (1), at the 2021 Eastbourne International.
Badosa’s form has been shaky so far this season, with two second-round exits and two first-round exits in the lead-up to Dubai. She lost in the second round of the Brisbane International and the Australian Open, falling to Elena Rybakina and Oksana Selekhmeteva. At the Qatar Open, she bowed out in the first round, losing to Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Great matches in Dubai everywhere you look tomorrow, Pegula, Andreeva, Gauff, Rybakina, Paolini/Eala, Mertens/Navarro, Badosa/Svitolina, Jovic/Shnaider, Bencic/Bejlek and more.
Alcaraz starts his run in Doha, Fonseca starts his run in Rio. Nakashima/Cilic in Delray also. pic.twitter.com/QA8BYx0JZz
— Tennis Updates (@TennisUpdates26) February 17, 2026
Badosa’s form has been shaky so far this season, with two second-round exits and two first-round exits in the lead-up to Dubai. She lost in the second round of the Brisbane International and the Australian Open, falling to Elena Rybakina and Oksana Selekhmeteva. At the Qatar Open, she bowed out in the first round, losing to Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Badosa vs Svitolina Prediction
Badosa has won 65.7% of her service games and 30.4% of her return games in 2026. She has saved 57.9% of break points on serve and converted 36.2% of break-point opportunities on return.
Svitolina, meanwhile, has been dominant on serve, winning 86.3% of her service games and saving 75.8% of break points faced. On return, she has won 28.3% of return games and converted 54.3% of her break-point chances.
MORE: Coco Gauff vs Anna Kalinskaya Preview: Head-to-Head, Prediction for Dubai Tennis Championships 2026
Svitolina has been more effective on serve than Badosa and owns a higher break-point conversion rate, suggesting the Ukrainian has elevated her level in pressure situations. Additionally, Svitolina is a two-time Dubai champion (2017, 2018), while Badosa has never advanced past the third round. That makes the seventh seed the favorite in this matchup.
Pick: Svitolina to win in straight sets
