Zhengzhou Open 2023 Day 3: Women's singles predictions ft. Maria Sakkari vs Qinwen Zheng
Second-round matches will get underway on Day 3 of the Zhengzhou Open. This is the first time this tournament is being held since the 2019 edition. Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Karolina Muchova were supposed to compete here as well but withdrew due to varying reasons.
The draw still features three of the current top 10 players, with Maria Sakkari, Ons Jabeur, and Caroline Garcia now leading the field. The trio received a bye into the second round.
The first-round matches have been wrapped up, with Daria Kasatkina, Liudmila Samsonova, and Donna Vekic being among the victors. There are four second-round contests lined up at the Zhengzhou Open on Wednesday, and here are the predictions for all of them:
#1 - Maria Sakkari vs Qinwen Zheng
Sakkari's quest for a WTA Finals spot came to an end with a quarterfinal exit from last week's China Open. While she could still make the cut as an alternate, her focus right now would be to finish the season on a high.
Sakkari has been in good form as well over the last few weeks. She finally nabbed her second career title at the Guadalajara Open. She then reached the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open and made the last eight at the China Open.
Following a quarterfinal finish at the US Open, Zheng returned to action at last week's China Open. She drew Rybakina in the first round and lost to her in straight sets. The 21-year-old defeated Kateryna Bondarenko in straight sets to begin her Zhengzhou Open campaign.
Sakkari has won both of their previous encounters, including one at the Qatar Open earlier this season. The Greek's recent performances tip the scales in her favor once again.
Predicted winner: Maria Sakkari
#2 - Caroline Garcia vs Jasmine Paolini
Crashing out in the first round of the US Open turned out to be a wake-up call for Garcia. Since then, she has reached at least the quarterfinals of her next four tournaments. Out of those, a semifinal finish at the Guadalajara Open was her best result.
Paolini gave World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka a tough fight when they faced off in the third round of the China Open, but came up short. She was off to a flying start at the Zhengzhou Open as she scored a 6-2, 6-3 win over Moyuka Uchijima.
Paolini has won just one of her eight matches against top 10 players this year and her career record against them is 2-12. Considering Garcia's form at the moment, she'll be favored to make it through this clash.
Predicted winner: Caroline Garcia
#3 - Donna Vekic vs Lesia Tusrenko
Vekic defeated Nao Hibino 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of the Zhengzhou Open to snap her four-match losing streak. This was just her third win since her third round exit from Wimbledon.
Tsurenko came through the qualifiers and got the better of Diana Shnaider in her opener with a similar scoreline. The two have already faced off twice this year. The Ukrainian almost won their first encounter at Monterrey.
Tsurenko took the first set, but an injury messed her up in the second set, forcing her to retire. She avenged that defeat the following month at Indian Wells and scored a three set win over Vekic.
Tsurenko has the game to bother her opponent and could pull off another win over her if she plays at the same level she did in her previous matches.
Predicted winner: Lesia Tsurenko
#4 - Anhelina Kalinina vs Vera Zvonareva
Following a runner-up finish at the Italian Open in May, Kalinina hadn't won consecutive matches. She finally did that by making it to the third round at the China Open last week.
Kalinina beat qualifier Ellen Perez 6-1, 6-3 to kick off her Zhengzhou Open campaign on a positive note. Zvonareva, ranked 369th at the moment, notched up one of her best wins in a long time as she defeated World No. 17 Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 7-6 (5).
While Zvonareva's results in doubles have been good, it's a different story in singles. While her win over Kudermetova was pretty good, it's unlikely she'll be able to replicate the same level to oust Kalinina. The latter seems to have rediscovered her form as well, making her the favorite in this duel.
Predicted winner: Anhelina Kalinina