Day two at the Guangzhou Open in southern China boasts a line up featuring no shortage of exciting talent, with every player in the draw surely hoping to manufacture a deep run and gather momentum for the closing weeks of the season. But who will book their place in the second round?
Guangzhou Open Day Two Predictions
Zheng Saisai vs Duan Yingying
Head-to-head: Zheng 4-1 Duan
Zheng Saisai has compiled another impressively consistent season and will surely have high hopes of putting together a good run at the Guangzhou Open. Duan Yingying, in contrast, has struggled to make an impact on the singles court and has played only a handful of events in the discipline in recent months. That suggests she may struggle to challenge the sixth seeded Zheng. So too does the fact she trails 1-4 in their head-to-head, with her sole win coming eight years ago in Hong Kong. Expect Zheng to further extend her dominance of this rivalry.
Prediction: Zheng in 2
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Sofia Kenin vs Laura Siegemund
Head-to-head: Kenin 1-0 Siegemund
Third seed Sofia Kenin may not have quite made the impact at the Slams that she was hoping for, but the American young gun has nonetheless impressed this year, picking up titles in Hobart and Mallorca, as well as reaching the final in Acapulco. She also beat her opponent Laura Siegemund in the second round at the US Open, before reaching the quarterfinals in the strong Zhengzhou 125k event. If she can maintain that form, it is hard to see any outcome other than a Kenin win.
Prediction: Kenin in 2
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Elina Svitolina vs Dalila Jakupovic
Head-to-head: first meeting
After losing in the final round of qualifying to Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, Dalila Jakupovic received a reprieve when she was handed a place in the main draw as a lucky loser. But it may prove to be a short-lived one as she comes up against the in-form top seed Elina Svitolina, who has now reached semifinals at the last two Majors. The Ukrainian may have fallen to Kristina Mladenovic in the quarterfinals in Zhengzhou, but she has more than enough talent to go all the way in Guangzhou and seems destined to prove too strong for the Slovenian Jakupovic.
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
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Wang Qiang vs Peng Shuai
Head-to-head: Wang 1-1 Peng
This should prove to be an entertaining battle. Wang Qiang may have seen her US Open campaign end in a bruising 1-6 0-6 quarterfinal loss to Serena Williams, but it was nonetheless an impressive run. Peng Shuai, meanwhile, has seen her powers wane on the singles court, but she remains a force to be reckoned with in the doubles. But there can be no doubt that the in-form Wang is the favourite heading into this match and rightly so, although Peng still has the quality to keep it close.
Prediction: Wang in 3
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