Daria Kasatkina vs Simona Waltert Preview & Prediction | 2026 Abu Dhabi Open | First Round

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Daria Kasatkina meets Simona Waltert in Abu Dhabi.

Ranking points: WTA 500

Start date/time:

Venue: Zayed Sports City International Tennis Centre, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Surface: Outdoor hard

How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports Tennis / USA – Tennis Channel

How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / USA – Tennis Channel

Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Daria Kasatkina vs Simona Waltert ticket information

Daria Kasatkina vs Simona Waltert prediction

Daria Kasatkina will hope to begin her climb back towards the top 20 in Abu Dhabi.

The Aussie cut short her 2025 campaign in September and is four matches into her return, picking up just the one win in Adelaide.

The world number 43 has previously been as high as eight in the rankings and she should have too much for Simona Waltert, who is featuring in just her 13th main draw match of the last two years and is bidding for a tenth career win overall at this level.

Kasatkina will feel she now has enough outings under her belt to find her groove against the world number 87 and we don’t see the Swiss underdog being able to make enough impact to make match fitness count.

Daria Kasatkina vs Simona Waltert tip: Daria Kasatkina to win 2-0