Abu Dhabi Open 2023, Day 5: Women's singles predictions ft. Belinda Bencic vs Shelby Rogers, Daria Kasatkina vs Zheng Qinwen
Day 5 of the Abu Dhabi Open will take place on Friday, 9 February, with the women's singles quarterfinals in action.
Top seed Daria Kasatkina came back from a set down to defeat Jil Teichmann 1-6, 6-0, 6-2 and will take on Zheng Qinwen in the last eight while second seed Belinda Bencic will be up against Shelby Rogers. Fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova will lock horns with compatriot Liudmila Samsonova and third seed Elena Rybakina will take on sixth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.
On that note, let's take a look at how the quarterfinals in Abu Dhabi could unfold.
#1. Daria Kasatkina vs Zheng Qinwen
Top seed Daria Kasatkina will face Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open in what will be the very first meeting between the two.
Kasatkina suffered a disastrous opening-round exit at the Australian Open and did not have the best of starts in Abu Dhabi as she lost the opening set in her opening match against Jil Teichmann. However, the Russian bounced back to win the next two sets and book her place in the quarterfinals.
Zheng Qinwen is yet to drop a set at the Abu Dhabi Open. She beat Rebecca Marino 6-3, 6-3 and fifth seed Jelena Ostapenko 7-6(10), 6-1 to seal her place in the last eight.
The Chinese has a bright future ahead and is very much capable of putting up a fight against Kasatkina. However, the Russian's resilience should see her get the win and book her place in the semifinals.
Predicted Winner: Daria Kasatkina
#2. Belinda Bencic vs Shelby Rogers
Second seed Belinda Bencic will face Shelby Rogers in the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open. It will be the third meeting between the two in the main draw of a tour-level tournament, with the head-to-head tied at 1-1.
Bencic has had a strong start to the 2023 season with nine wins out of 11 matches so far, winning the Adelaide International 2. The Swiss booked her place in the quarterfinals in Abu Dhabi by defeating Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 7-5.
Shelby Rogers reached her maiden WTA quarterfinal of the 2023 season after Anett Kontaveit was forced to retire from their second-round fixture due to injury.
The American has had a good run in Abu Dhabi but Bencic should be able to get the better of her given her recent run of form.
Predicted Winner: Belinda Bencic
#3. Elena Rybakina vs Beatriz Haddad Maia
Third seed Elena Rybakina will face sixth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.
Rybakina produced some scintillating tennis at the Australian Open to reach the final before losing to Aryna Sabalenka. The Kazakh then competed at the Abu Dhabi Open and booked her place in the quarterfinals by beating Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-2.
Haddad Maia suffered a disappointing defeat in the first round of the Australian Open and then took part in the Abu Dhabi Open as the sixth seed. She beat Marie Bouzkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 before edging out Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(4) to book her place in the quarterfinals.
While Haddad Maia is a pretty good player, she will be feeling the effects of her clash against Putintseva. Rybakina has looked in good touch and should be able to get the better of the Brazilian.
Predicted Winner: Elena Rybakina
#4. Veronika Kudermetova vs Liudmila Samsonova
Fourth seed Veronika Kudermetova will face eighth seed Liudmila Samsonova in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 tournament. It will be the fourth meeting between the two, with Kudermetova leading 2-1 head-to-head.
The 25-year-old did well to reach the semifinals of the Adelaide International 2 but was forced to withdraw due to injury. She then suffered a second-round exit at the Australian Open. Kudermetova sealed her place in the quarterfinals in Abu Dhabi by beating Elise Mertens 6-1, 7-5.
Samsonova started the tournament by beating Claire Liu 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. She then edged out Barbora Krejcikova 7-5, 7-6(8) to reach the last eight.
Both Russians are pretty formidable on their day and the match promises to be an exciting one. However, Kudermetova has won both of her last two matches against Samsonova and should manage to edge out her compatriot to reach the semifinals of the Abu Dhabi Open.
Predicted Winner: Veronika Kudermetova