Qinwen Zheng vs Elena Rybakina Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA China Open

Prediction published on 02/10/2023, 02:27  by Daniel Ngulu in Tennis Predictions

Fifth seed Elena Rybakina and the unseeded Qinwen Zheng will square off on Monday at the China Open. The winner of this first-rounder will next play the unseeded Tatjana Maria. Qinwen Zheng will hope support from the home crowd will propel her to not only winning this round but also the tournament. The Chinese number one was last on the court almost a month ago as she recorded her best-ever Grand Slam finish. Zheng made it to the US Open quarterfinals and even shocked a top 10 player in the process. She has compiled a 29-17 record and has won 18 of 28 matches on hard court. The highlight of her season however came on clay back in July as she won the Palermo Ladies Open. This was the first tour title of her career. Zheng is ranked 23rd in the WTA.

Elena Rybakina defeated Zheng in their only encounter to date. This was during her title-winning run at Wimbledon last season. Having dominated on hard courts, the world number five will be confident of doubling her advantage in this series. The Kazakh has compiled an impressive 42-12 record and 26 of her victories have come in 34 outings on hard courts. This impressive run has resulted in two titles and two runner-up finishes. She has however stuttered with her form in recent outings and has managed only two wins in her last five fixtures. Rybakina was also last on the court at the US Open where she crashed out in the second round. Both Zheng and Rybakina are making their debuts in Beijing.