There has been plenty of entertaining tennis on display during the first three days of the China Open in Beijing. A number of stars have already departed, including Wimbledon champion Simona Halep and former-world #1 Venus Williams. But who will advance on day four?
China Open Day Four Predictions
Ashleigh Barty vs Yulia Putintseva
Head-to-head: Barty 1-0 Putintseva
Since her thrilling triumph at the French Open, world #1 Ashleigh Barty has struggled to dominate the tour as some had expected she might, despite some good moments including her triumph at the Birmingham Classic. On hard courts, she has proven vulnerable to being outhit and overwhelmed by the WTA tour’s power players. Indeed, that is exactly what happened to her in the Wuhan semifinals, where she lost narrowly to defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. But she may take comfort in the fact that Yulia Putintseva does not possess that sort of power. The Kazakh has good feel and times the ball well, but not as well as Barty.
Prediction: Barty in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Petra Kvitova vs Kristina Mladenovic
Head-to-head: Kvitova 8-1 Mladenovic
Petra Kvitova clearly enjoys playing in China and will surely have been disappointed by her 5-7 5-7 loss to Alison Riske in the semifinals in Wuhan, though the American deserves great credit for a superb performance. But she will surely view Kristina Mladenovic as the perfect opponent to get back on track against at the China Open, having beaten the Frenchwoman in eight of their nine previous encounters. Mladenovic did, however, play very well to dismiss Danielle Collins 6-3 6-2 in the first round. But after losing 14 sets in a row to Kvitova, it is hard to see Mladenovic finding a path to victory in this one.
Prediction: Kvitova in 2
Embed from Getty Images
Angelique Kerber vs Polona Hercog
Head-to-head: Kerber 5-2 Hercog
It has been a fairly miserable season thus far for Angelique Kerber, who has found wins consistently hard to come by. But she showed admirable composure to edge out Zhang Shuai 6-2 1-6 6-4 in the first round at the China Open. Polona Hercog, meanwhile, has rediscovered her winning touch in Asia after a terrible period of form following her dramatic loss to young gun Cori Gauff at Wimbledon. But she has historically struggled against Kerber, winning just two of their seven matches and receiving some heavy beatings from the German. Although neither woman is in good enough form to suggest that they can win easily, Kerber should feel confident about her chances of reaching the third round.
Prediction: Kerber in 3
Embed from Getty Images
Sofia Kenin vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Head-to-head: Kenin 1-0 Pavlyuchenkova
Sofia Kenin has enjoyed an excellent 2019 season and she has maintained her fine form during the Asian swing, winning the title in Guangzhou. In the first round, she negotiated the tricky draw of former-world #1 Garbine Muguruza adroitly, beating the Spaniard 6-0 2-6 6-2. And after beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova last week in similar conditions in the first round at the Wuhan Open, she will surely approach this match with real confidence. The Russian will be better prepared this time around, but so too will Kenin. Expect a similar outcome.
Prediction: Kenin in 2
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
