Yue Yuan vs Cristina Bucsa Prediction, Picks, Odds, H2H, Stats - 2/7/25

It’s time to qualify for the main draw of the Qatar Open and among the first matches will be Yue Yuan against Cristina Bucsa from the second qualifier bracket. Yue Yuan is the 2-seed in the qualifying process in Doha and the Chinese native is favored to defeat her Spanish counterpart.

At -175, Yuan is listed at a high price for a player who has lost her last three outings and our WTA expert questions the line setters’ decision.  

EJ Garr’s prediction for Yue Yuan vs. Cristina Bucsa features odds at +105 which you can find below. 

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Yue Yuan vs Cristina Bucsa WTA Qatar Open Prediction: An Upset Brewing in Qualifying

• Prediction: First Set Over 9.5 Games
• Best Odds: +105
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stakes: 3/10

Odds as of 7:00 am UK Time on February 7, 2025. Odds may now differ.

Why is Yue Yuan listed at odds close to -200 to beat anyone? I am not buying one ounce of what the Chinese native is selling and if the line setters want to try to convince you otherwise, let’s talk!

bet365 is showing -175 odds on Yuan to defeat Bucsa and that line might inflate to -200 before the match starts. After such a nice start to the campaign, Yuan has a 0 – 4 record in the last four outings, and no one knows what happened the last time she took the court in Abu Dhabi.

Yuan started the 2025 campaign with two wins at Brisbane and the wheels fell off the wagon. A loss to 837th-ranked Wakana Sonobe in the Abu Dhabi Open leaves me with zero confidence in Yuan and she is favored at -175.

Then it hit me that Bucsa also got sent packing against Sonobe so maybe we need to watch for the 17-year-old in the future (Just won the Australian Open Girls’ title).

The win against Emma Raducanu in Singapore should have been a boost but Bucsa followed that up with a loss against 121st-ranked Mananchaya Sawangkaew.

The only thing I can see happening in this match is a 6 – 4 first set and I won’t be surprised if Bucsa wins the opening frame. I expect a few service breaks between them and this match has the potential to go three sets. 

I will splash the pot with the Over 2.5 sets prop and the first set to topple the Over 9.5 games.

YUE YUAN RECENT FORM

Yue Yuan starts the week ranked 55th on the WTA Tour and has dropped the last four decisions after a 2 – 0 start to the campaign at Brisbane.

Yuan produced a 32 – 27 2024 campaign completing a fourth straight season with a winning record.

CRISTINA BUCSA RECENT FORM

Cristina Bucsa is 3 – 5 in 2025 and has dropped outside of the top 100 WTA rankings (98th).

Bucsa had a 24 – 29 record last season with an 8 – 7 count on clay, the only surface in the positive.

YUAN VS BUCSA HTH –  STAT OF THE MATCH

Yue Yuan won the only meeting with Cristina Bucsa in in straight sets last year in Toronto.

The winner of this first-round qualification match will take on Yulia Starodubtseva or Laura Siegemund with a place in the main draw of the Qatar Open in the balance.

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