Tokyo 2022: Caroline Garcia vs Zhang Shuai preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | Toray Pan Pacific Open
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Caroline Garcia vs Zhang Shuai.
Date: September 21, 2022.
Tournament: Toray Pan Pacific Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Tokyo, Japan.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $757,900.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Caroline Garcia vs Zhang Shuai preview
After a first-round bye, second seed Caroline Garcia will face off against World No. 28 Zhang Shuai in the second round of the 2022 Pan Pacific Open.
Garcia's results in the first half of the season were quite underwhelming, with a semifinal in Lyon being the only highlight. However, the French Open proved to be a turning point for her. She claimed her second doubles Grand Slam title in Paris. Since then, the 28-year-old has been on a tear.
She won her first singles title in three years at the Bad Homburg Open by defeating Bianca Andreescu in the final. She then followed it up with a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon, which included a win over Emma Raducanu. She continued her good run of form with a semifinal in Lausanne and a quarterfinal in Palermo.
The Frenchwoman defeated World No. 1 Iga Swiatek en route to winning her second title of the year at the Warsaw Open. A first-round exit from the Canadian Open stopped her momentum, albeit briefly. The following week, she clinched her third title of the season at the Western & Southern Open, that too as a qualifier.
Garcia then reached the semifinals of the US Open, her first last-four appearance at a Major in singles. She has now returned to the top 10 of the rankings after four years.
Ticking off all the Tokyo traditions 🪕
@CaroGarcia, Beatriz Haddad Maia & Yuki Naito each have a go at the shamisen!
Who played it best? 🤔 https://t.co/gvA3ge0Xww
Zhang Shuai has also enjoyed considerable success this year. She claimed her first singles title in almost five years at the Lyon Open. She reached the doubles final at Wimbledon and attained a new career-high of World No. 2 in the discipline as well.
The 33-year-old was up against Mai Hontama in the first round of the Pan Pacific Open. She dished out a bagel in the opening set to easily win it. The second set was slightly more competitive. Both players were evenly matched across the first six games of the set, after which the Chinese claimed the last three games to win the match 6-0, 6-3.
Caroline Garcia vs Zhang Shuai head-to-head
The two have met four times before this, with the head-to-head being tied at 2-2. They've also split their couple of meetings this year evenly, with Zhang winning the first one at the Lyon Open while Garcia coming out on top at Wimbledon.
Caroline Garcia vs Zhang Shuai odds
(All odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Caroline Garcia vs Zhang Shuai prediction
Zhang played a pretty good match against Hontama in the first round. Her opponent found it tough to cope with the pace of her shots and didn't drop her serve even once. However, the Chinese will face a much sterner test against the in-form Garcia in the next round.
The 28-year-old's serve has improved considerably and she sits atop the WTA leaderboard for most aces hit this year with 318. Garcia has been pretty effective from the baseline, looking to dominate the proceedings from the back of the court with her forehand. Her ability to hit winners from any corner of the court makes her a particularly formidable foe.
Considering each player has tasted plenty of success in doubles, they have a decent all-court game. However, based on Garcia's recent form, it's hard to see her losing this unless she has an off day or Zhang plays lights-out tennis.
Pick: Caroline Garcia to win in straight sets.