The last two standing at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Open in San Jose are Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka and China’s Zheng Saisai. The unseeded Zheng is looking for her first career title. And, Sabalenka is looking for her fourth career title. Both have had a stellar week in San Jose and this should be battle. But, who will claim the 2019 Silicon Valley Open title?
Mubadala Silicon Valley Open Final Prediction
Head to head: Sabalenka 0-1 Zheng
Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka has had a good week in San Jose. Even when her serve lets her down or a forehand goes awry, the Belorussian has been able to steady herself and persevere. Her concentration and ability to course correct has been rewarded with a spot in the final.
In the semifinal match, Sabalenka got 82% of her first serves in play. While she had five aces, the double faults continued, totaling eight for the match. Sabalenka won 76% of her first serves, but only 20% of her second serves. Her next opponent will take advantage of those second serve opportunities.
Sabalenka’s power clearly set Vekic on her heels. The #2 seed drove powerful forehands from corner to corner. It’s that power which will be a challenge for Zheng Saisai.
In hard court finals, Sabalenka is 3-1. She will be looking to win her fourth career title, the second this year. Sabalenka has now won five of her last seven matches on hard court. While Sabalenka hasn’t had a great 2019, it looks to be vastly improving.
Zheng Saisai
Watching Zheng play this week, the 25-year-old Chinese looks nearly unbeatable. Never have I seen a player keep so many ball in play. It’s not just that Zheng is returning impossible shots, she’s doing it with intention. From her carefully placed lobs to her sharp angels, Zheng quickly turns defense into offense with strategic shots. If a chess master played tennis, this is what the game would look like. Zheng’s ability to see the ball and her opponent simultaneously and craft the right play is excellent.
The unseeded Zheng is looking for her first career singles title. And, the title is certainly within her grasp after upsetting Danielle Collins in the Round of 16 and Amanda Anisimova in the quarterfinals. Maria Sakkari should have been another long, three-set battle. Yet, Zhang turned in another straight sets win over a higher ranked opponent.
Zheng’s doubles prowess has been readily apparent. Fearless when coming to the net, Zheng has crafted exceptional shots. Her ability to anticipate the ball and put herself in the perfect position is uncanny.
In the semifinal match, Zheng got 74% of her first serves in play. She won 63% of her first serves and 41% of her second serves. The serve has never been a true weapon for the Chinese. In fact, it’s somewhat surprising that the Zheng serve has only been broken 13 times. Zheng leaves a big opening for the right opponent to take advantage of an average first serve.
The Way to the Win
Sabalenka will need to corral those double faults and really dial into a solid first serve. When the first serve is on point, and Sabalenka can take control, she is very dangerous. Seems that Sabalenka has reduced the unforced errors, so that leaves only the serve which needs some work. Zheng does lead the head to head, but I would think Sabalenka learned a valuable lesson on patience. She’ll need to work the point and look for the opening. Zheng will get a ton of balls in play and if Sabalenka tries to pull the trigger too soon, she will be out of position on Zheng’s strategic return.
Zheng will need to prevent Sabalenka from getting a good rhythm. If Sabalenka is controlling the point and hitting her spots, the sheer power will be a devastating blow for Zheng. If Zheng can continue to offer up her variety and end points at the net, it will be a difficult and frustrating match for Sabalenka. Zheng is incredibly motivated and after knocking out last year’s finalist in straight sets, she should be very confident.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
Main Photo:
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