The last Chinese woman standing at the Wuhan Open is #8 seed Wang Qiang who’ll take on American Alison Riske. Can the Chinese superstar punch her ticket to the quarterfinals?
Elina Svitolina’s knee appears to be a thing of the past. The #3 seed showed no sign of a lingering injury, eliminating Garbine Muguruza 7-5, 6-2. Returning serve exceptionally well created five breaks for the Ukrainian. Despite an errant serve, Svitolina’s crafty counterpunching moved her on to the Round of 16.
Day 4 at the Wuhan Open sees Karolina Pliskova striving to close in on the Ash Barty World #1 ranking. Only 121 points separate Barty and Pliskova in the ranking. While both player has said that they don’t focus on raking, the rest of the tennis watching world has taken notice. Also in action are #4 seed Simona Halep, defending Wuhan titleholder Aryna Sabalenka and Croatia’s in-form Petra Martic.
We will cover all of the intriguing Wuhan Open Round of 16 matches with predictions for who’s moving on to the quarterfinals. This article contains four matches, and a second article has the other four.
Wuhan Open Day 4 Predictions
Simona Halep vs Elena Rybakina
Head to head: First meeting
Wildcard Elena Rybakina is off to a great start in her first WTA Tour Premier 5 level tournament. The promising, young Kazakh won her first main draw title in July at the Bucharest Open and was the finalist in Nanchang. Rybakina looks quite capable of winning many more as her experience builds. But this is just her eleventh tour level tournament. It’s a big ask for the 20-year-old to take on an in-form Simona Halep.
The #4 seed dominated in her first Wuhan match. Halep won 55% of her receiving points with her stellar defense. The Romanian leads the league racking up the most breaks of her opponents’ service games. This is a key area where Rybakina’s lack of experience will put the Kazakh on the losing end of the scoreline. Expect Halep to come out strong, putting nearly every ball back in play. And, that alone will leave Rybakina searching for an answer.
Prediction: Halep in 2
Petra Kvitova vs Sloane Stephens
Head to head: Kvitova 1-2 Stephens
Petra Kvitova has quickly shaken off the rust in Wuhan. In her first tournament since the US Open, Kvitova turned in a solid performance giving Polona Hercog a straight set loss. The #5 seed is serving exceptionally well, winning 65% of her service points. When the Czech superstar gains match momentum, she is difficult to stop. Sloane Stephens will find this match challenging as Kvitova is a tough opponent, and I’m not sure the Stephens slump has truly ended.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
Dayana Yastremska vs Karolina Pliskova
Head to head: Yastremska 0-1 Pliskova
Closing in on reclaiming the World #1 spot may weigh on Karolina Pliskova, though it certainly hasn’t show. The Czech superstar’s Wuhan opener was a straight sets win over teen phenom Amanda Anisimova. The #2 seed served six aces but threw in five double faults. Still, Pliskova won 63% behind her first serve.
Dayana Yastremska hasn’t dropped a set yet in Wuhan. Sure, she had to play through two tough tiebreaks to avoid the loss of a set. But, when required, the Ukrainian played solid, strategic tennis to dismiss Ajla Tomljanovic and Christina McHale. The tournament tough teen plays a style similar to the defending Wuhan champion, Aryna Sabalenka. The take no prisoners approach yield spectacular results or stunning errors – there’s simply no in-between.
If Yastremska can hit her marks and erase her escalating double faults, this is a match she certainly can win. But, a top tier talent like Pliskova who’s playing exceptionally well may be insurmountable for Yastremska.
Prediction: Pliskova in 3
Ashleigh Barty vs Sofia Kenin
Head to head: Barty 3-1 Kenin
The newly crowned Guangzhou Open champion is in excellent form. Sofia Kenin continues to find a way to win some of the most difficult matches with her fight. In her previous round, Kenin required three sets to defeat Elise Mertens. The plucky American plays each point the same – whether she’s facing a break point or serving at 40-0. Her fearlessness has propelled her to another level and Kenin looks to extend her seven match winning streak.
Ashleigh Barty has a tired performance at the US Open. Perhaps the best thing the Aussie could have done was to take some time off, allowing her to enter Wuhan refreshed. No doubt, Barty is an exception talent with her all-court game. A unique combination of craft, strategy, precision and power make Barty a tough opponent. Yet, Kenin won the most recent match-up in Toronto in a tight, three set contest. I see another three set storm brewing between Kenin and Barty. Where Kenin is bold, Barty is calculated and Barty will make the most of the lessons learned at the Rogers Cup.
Prediction: Barty in 3
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