Wimbledon 2022: Sloane Stephens vs Zheng Qinwen preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: Sloane Stephens vs Zheng Qinwen
Date: June 28, 2022
Tournament: Wimbledon 2022
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom.
Category: Grand Slam.
Surface: Grass.
Prize money: £40,350,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN & Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - BBC & Eurosport | India - Star Sports & Disney+ Hotstar app
Sloane Stephens vs Zheng Qinwen preview
Sloane Stephens takes on Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday.
The American has won 10 out of 19 matches this season, with a title-winning run at the Abierto Zapopan in Guadalajara. Stephens beat Brenda Fruhvirtova, Chloe Paquet, Daria Saville and Anna Kalinskaya to reach the final, where she defeated Marie Bouzkova 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 to win her seventh WTA singles title.
After losing five successive matches, the 29-year-old reached the quarterfinals of the French Open with wins over Jule Niemeier, Sorana Cirstea, Diane Parry and Jil Teichmann. She was beaten by compatriot and eventual runner-up Coco Gauff.
Stephens then competed at Bad Homburg and lost to Katie Swan in the opening round despite winning the first set.
Katie Swan beats Sloane Stephens 2-6 6-4 6-2 in the first round in Bad Homburg. https://t.co/rPO0CgLuZ7
Zheng Qinwen has won 10 out of 21 matches this season (not counting WTA 125 events). The Chinese teenager reached the semifinals of the Melbourne Summer Set 1 before losing to eventual champion Simona Halep.
Zheng avenged her defeat to Halep by beating the Romanian 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 in the second round of the French Open. She then triumphed over Alize Cornet to set up a last-16 clash against Iga Swiatek.
The Chinese took the opening set in a tie-break, but was hampered by leg problems and menstrual cramps thereafter and the World No. 1 won the next two sets comfortably. Nonetheless, Zheng was the only player to take a set off Swiatek at the French Open.
During the grasscourt season, the 19-year-old suffered opening-round defeats at the bett1open and the Rothesay International in Eastbourne.
WTA 500 Rothesay International Eastbourne
Magdalena Frech in straight
sets over Qinwen Zheng
6-3 6-0
Sloane Stephens vs Zheng Qinwen head-to-head
Zheng enjoys a 1-0 head-to-head record against Stephens, having beaten her 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 in the first round of the Charleston Open in April.
The winner will set up a meeting with either ninth seed Garbine Muguruza or Greet Minnen in the second round of Wimbledon.
Sloane Stephens vs Zheng Qinwen odds
(All odds sourced from Oddschecker)
Sloane Stephens vs Zheng Qinwen prediction
Stephens is the slight favorite heading into this first-round encounter because of her greater experience on the surface. However, the American has won just six out of 13 matches on grass since 2016, while her opponent has played only two matches on the surface so far.
Stephens is a counterpuncher who prefers to construct points from the baseline. She can generate tremendous power, especially off her forehand. The American's athleticism and defensive skills could come in handy against her opponents power-packed game.
Zheng loves to play aggressively from the baseline and will look to force the issue against Stephens, who is often criticized for being far too defensive. Zheng is a decent server but is susceptible to double faulting on a regular basis.
The match will be a hard-fought affair and it's difficult to predict a winner. However, as mentioned earlier, Stephens' experience on the surface could be the deciding factor.
Pick: Stephens to win in three sets.
Also Check Out :-Wimbledon 2022 Results