The Revenge of Ostrava

Katie Volynets arrives with a fresh psychological edge: she beat Alycia Parks less than ten days ago in the quarterfinals in Ostrava (5-7, 6-4, 6-2). Katie is the archetype of the player who throws big hitters off their game. Her court coverage and her ability to get one more ball back eventually made Alycia crack in their last clash. She doesn’t have a killer shot, but she gives nothing away. Her recent run in Ostrava, where she only lost in the semifinals to Katie Boulter, proves that she’s match-fit and ready for marathons under the Dubai sun.

Alycia Parks is no longer just a “big server”; in Doha she showed a tactical maturity we’d never seen from her before. During her 2h48 battle against Qinwen Zheng (a 7-6, 3-6, 6-2 defeat), she amazed observers with her ability to stay in the rallies, saving 81%of her break points (13 out of 16). She’s no longer a player who just smacks everything at random, but an athlete capable of converting 50%of her own break chances against a top-level opponent. Her serve is still her lethal weapon, but it’s now her mental endurance that allows her not to collapse at the first sign of trouble.

The X factor also remains this special bond with Serena Williams. Alycia confirmed that she trained with the legend on Monday, February 2 on the courts of the Dubai Tennis Stadium