Elise Mertens vs Daria Kasatkina Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Mertens to continue brilliant form to start 2026

Andrew Hendrie

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Last updated: Mon 09 Feb 2026 23:09

Andrew Hendrie 09 Feb 2026

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Elise Mertens vs Daria Kasatkina predictions for Tuesday's WTA Doha Round 1 match
Mertens in great form, winning seven of nine matches in 2026
Kasatkina has slipped down the rankings; struggled vs top 25 players over last 12 months
The match is scheduled to start at 9.00pm AEDT on Tuesday February 10

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Elise Mertens (Photo by Getty Images)

Elise Mertens vs Daria Kasatkina Tips, Prediction & Live Stream

Elise Mertens will be looking to continue her superb form to start the season when she meets Australia's Daria Kasatkina in the second round of the Qatar Open in Doha on Tuesday.

Elise Mertens vs Daria Kasatkina Tips, Prediction & Live Stream
Mertens vs Kasatkina Stats & Trends
Mertens vs Kasatkina Head to Head
Elise Mertens Form Analysis
Daria Kasatkina Form Analysis
Mertens vs Kasatkina Live Stream

Mertens has produced some sensational tennis launch the year, compiling a 7-2 record and reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open in singles (losing to eventual champion Elena Rybakina) before going on to win the doubles title alongside Zhang Shuai. The Belgian has continued her superb form in Doha, absolutely crushing Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2 6-1 in just 68 minutes in the opening round. By contrast, Kasatkina has struggled considerably on tour over the last 12 months or so and arrives at this contest with a 2-4 record for the year so far.

Kasatkina managed to grind out a three-set victory over qualifier Moyuka Uchijima in her Doha opener, but this is a big step up in class and she's found the going tough against this calibre of opponent as of late. Admittedly, this has been a great matchup for Kasatkina (she's won six of the eight previous meetings at all levels), but she was in far superior form back then. The script has been flipped form-wise and Mertens is playing by far the better tennis right now. I'm backing the Belgian for another straight sets victory.

Mertens vs Kasatkina Stats & Trends

Mertens has won seven of her nine matches in 2026
Mertens' last five wins have come in straight sets
Mertens has won 27 of her last 31 matches vs players ranked outside the top 60
Of those 27 wins, 21 were in straight sets
Kasatkina has lost four of her six matches in 2026
Kasatkina went 2-8 vs top 25 players in 2025
Four of Kasatkina's last five losses vs top 25 players were in straight sets
Mertens has a strong 16-6 record in Doha, winning the title in 2019
Mertens' last five wins in Doha have come in straight sets
Kasatkina's last four defeats in Doha have come in straight sets

Mertens vs Kasatkina Head to Head

Kasatkina leads 6-2 overall and 5-2 at tour-level, but they haven't played since three meetings in 2023. Six of the last seven encounters have ended in straight sets for the winner.

Year	Tournament	Surface	Winner	Score
2023	Montreal	Hard	Kasatkina	6-4, 6-2
2023	Washington	Hard	Kasatkina	6-2, 6-3
2023	Miami	Hard	Mertens	4-6, 6-2, 6-2
2022	Sydney	Hard	Kasatkina	6-3, 6-4
2021	San Jose	Hard	Kasatkina	6-3, 6-2
2021	Australian Open	Hard	Mertens	7-6(5), 6-3
2019	Stuttgart	Clay (Indoor)	Kasatkina	7-6(8), 7-5
2017	New Haven	Hard	Kasatkina	6-3, 4-6, 6-4

Elise Mertens Form Analysis

2026 Record: 7-2
WTA Doha Record: 16-6
Current Ranking: No. 22
Career-High Ranking: No. 12 (2018)

It was another consistent year for Mertens in 2025 - she maintained a top 30 ranking for the bulk of the year, winning two WTA titles in Singapore and s-Hertogenbosch, along with finishing runner-up in Hobart and reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon and third round of the US Open.

Mertens has begun 2026 with a bang, winning seven of her nine matches and playing some of her best tennis, while as mentioned, she also captured the Australian Open doubles title, maintaining her No. 1 ranking.

The Belgian defeated the likes of Victoria Mboko and Barbora Krejcikova in the United Cup before making the fourth round of the Australian Open in singles, where it took Elena Rybakina to stop her.

Mertens has continued her great tennis in Doha, where she emerged with the title in 2019. The 30-year-old demolished Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for the loss of just three games, winning 27/30 points behind her first serve.

Daria Kasatkina Form Analysis

2026 Record: 2-4
WTA Doha Record: 11-8
Current Ranking: No. 61
Career-High Ranking: No. 8 (2022)

It's been a difficult last 12 months or so for Kasatkina, who shut down her 2025 season early due to personal reasons.

The Aussie - who officially earned her citizenship last month - is still searching for back-to-back wins for the first time since last year's US Open.

Kasatkina didn't have the Aussie summer she would have wanted, going out in the first round of Brisbane and second round of Adelaide before suffering a first round exit at the Australian Open to qualifier Nikola Bartunkova.

The 28-year-old lost to another qualifier in Simona Waltert in the first round of Abu Dhabi last week, but avoided the same fate in Doha in her opening round, recovering from dropping the first set against Moyuka Uchijima to finish strongly, dropping a third set bagel in a 4-6 6-3 6-0 victory.

Mertens vs Kasatkina Live Stream

Watch and bet on Elise Mertens vs Daria Kasatkina live tennis from Doha.

You can watch and bet on the match live at Unibet > Tennis > WTA Doha with the action available to stream on desktop and mobile.

Geo-restrictions apply, you'll need a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours to gain access. 18+ terms and conditions apply.

Verdict

Elise Mertens v Daria Kasatkina

Mertens is in superb form, while Kasatkina has struggled against top 25 players over the last 12 months - backing the Belgian in straights.

Mertens 2-0

Set Betting

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