Predictions for Iva Jovic — Kamilla Rakhimova

Jovic’s Guadalajara title and US Open win over Eala count, but Beijing began badly: she lost the first set to Dart (rank 116) and needed nearly three hours. Resilience, not sharpness, after the US Open, Mexico and the flight to Asia.

Rakhimova has just beaten Fernandez, fresh from a Singapore title, by attacking her serve and driving the forehand. After losing the second set, she steadied under pressure in the decider; her stubborn finish against Krejcikova is another reason not to expect an easy surrender.

Gauff showed how Jovic can be troubled when a strong returner keeps pressure on her serve. Their Dubai meeting swung through three sets and still cleared 20 games despite lopsided sets. Over 19.5 games covers a decider, a likely Rakhimova win, or a Jovic win with one close set.

Jovic’s 1.27 win price offers no value; Rakhimova is not a strong enough outright call. Her +5.5 fails in a lopsided decider or a 7-5, 6-2 loss, while Jovic -5.5 asks for dominance. The risk is a clean Jovic rout, such as 6-3, 6-3.