Lin Zhu vs Elena Rybakina Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Qatar Open

Prediction published on 12/02/2024, 01:50  by Nella Wagah in WTA Qatar Open Predictions

Third seed Elena Rybakina and the unseeded Lin Zhu will square off in the second round at the Qatar Open. The winner will then next play either Elise Mertens, Peyton Stearns, Jasmine Paolini, or Emma Navarro. Lin Zhu dominantly defeated Varvara Gracheva in the first round. She won in straight sets and dropped just two games in the contest. This was her first main draw victory here in what is her third appearance. Shu has had a strong start to the year and so far has won eight of the 12 matches she has contested. The highlight of her season was in Hua Hin where she finished as runner-up. The Chinese number two started the week ranked 57th in the WTA.

Elena Rybakina is having quite the start to the season. The Kazakh has already won two titles with the latest triumph coming in Abu Dhabi. She should therefore arrive for her first appearance in Doha since 2022 eager for another title success. Rybakina, who also won the title in Brisbane, has compiled an 11-2 record thus far. She defeated Zhu the last time they met, which was back in 2019 in Wuhan. This will be their third meeting and the winner here will take a 2-1 series lead. Rybakina defeated Daria Kasatkina in straight sets in the Abu Dhabi final. She took just one hour and 12 minutes to get the job done and lost five games. She is now up to fourth in the live ranking.