Get the popcorn ready!

Clara Tauson, the “Danish Dynamite,” is rediscovering her secret garden in Dubai. Last year’s finalist (lost to Andreeva in 2025), she’s playing this week with the fury of someone who has no intention of giving up her ranking points. Since the start of the tournament, the Dane has turned the center court into a shooting range: after blasting Sofia Kenin with 20 aces, she backed it up with dominant performances against Stearns and Linette. Her serve, clocked at over 190 km/h, is her life insurance; when her first-serve percentage goes above 65%, Clara turns into a top‑5‑caliber player who can overwhelm any defense with her raw power on the forehand. It’s been a long time since Clara last won 3 matches in a row!

What can you say about Jess, probably the most complete player of the last 6 months! Against Varvara Gracheva: it’s94% of her first serves(45 out of 48)!! Against Iva Jovic: she did even better, hitting94% of her first serves(Official WTA stats). The conditions seem to suit her.

Pegula has won 25 of her last 32 matches and devoured 9 top‑20 players. She also has a staggering record of 21 wins for only 3 losses when she plays a quarterfinal. Once she’s settled in, it’s like winter regulations for apartments, you’re not getting her out (Okay, couldn’t come up with a better joke, I own it).

Clash of styles, it’s likely to be hard to get a break, on one side or the other. In terms of self-control though, Clara is far from being at the American’s level and has only beaten 5 top‑10 players in her career.