The opening three days at the WTA’s China Open in Beijing have brought no shortage of thrilling action and shocking upsets. Already a number of star names have departed, including Simona Halep and Venus Williams. Day four will see the second round completed, but who will make their way into the last 16 and who will fall to defeat in the Chinese capital?
China Open Day Four Predictions
Sloane Stephens vs Zheng Saisai
Head-to-head: Stephens 2-0 Zheng
Sloane Stephens is one of the most formidably talented players on the WTA tour, but her recent results have fallen short of what is expected of a player of her ability. She endured a miserable spell in North America during the summer, winning just one of five matches and crashing out in the first round in Washington, Toronto and New York. But she has rediscovered some sort of form, reaching the last 16 in Wuhan and besting the in-form Magda Linette 6-3 7-6 in the first round in Beijing.
Zheng Saisai, meanwhile, impressed in battling past Monica Puig in the first round. But the 25-year-old has had an indifferent year in singles and has failed to beat Stephens in both of their previous meetings, including a one-sided 1-6 3-6 loss in Beijing last season. Stephens’ recent inconsistencies suggest this match will likely be a closer contest, but if Stephens remains focused and positive, she should have enough to see off Zheng’s challenge.
Prediction: Stephens in 3
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Naomi Osaka vs Andrea Petkovic
Head-to-head: Petkovic 1-0 Osaka
Naomi Osaka is another player who has fallen below expectations of late. But the Japanese star did play very well on her way to the title in her hometown of Osaka, where she did not drop a set. And she looked sharp once again in beating Jessica Pegula of the USA in straight-sets in the first round in Beijing to extend her winning streak to five matches. After a difficult period, the Japanese is once again looking like one of the WTA’s brightest stars.
Andrea Petkovic, meanwhile, who came through the qualifying to reach the main draw, may have her issues with consistency, but she has shown this year that she can still pack a punch with some fine results. The German also beat Osaka handily in their only previous meeting. However, that came five years ago in Stanford and Osaka has improved considerably since. Expect the fourth seed to come out on top this time around.
Prediction: Osaka in 2
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Daria Kasatkina vs Aryna Sabalenka
Head-to-head: first meeting
It has been a year of toil for both Aryna Sabalenka and Daria Kasatkina. But the Belarusian finally scored the sort of standout success that her season has been crying out for by successfully defending her Wuhan Open title, beating sixth seed Kiki Bertens and world #1 Ashleigh Barty en route. Kasatkina, who now finds herself ranked 45th in the world having been as high as world #10 last season, would surely love to manufacture a similar success at the China Open. But though she played well to get the better of Peng Shuai from a set down in the first round, there was little in that performance to suggest she could withstand the power of Sabalenka.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
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Caroline Wozniacki vs Christina McHale
Head-to-head: Wozniacki 4-2 McHale
This looks to be one of the more intriguing clashes of the day on paper. Wozniacki has had to battle against a number of health concerns lately, not least rheumatoid arthritis. But she remains an excellent competitor with defensive qualities that would be the envy of most players on tour. In the first round, they were more than enough to blunt the attack of Lauren Davis, with Wozniacki claiming a comfortable 6-3 6-1 win over the American.
But she may well need to play at that level again when she takes on Davis’ compatriot Christina McHale, who has already won three matches this week after coming through the qualifying. McHale is a player who has given Wozniacki problems in the past, although she has not beaten the Dane since 2012. And if Wozniacki does perform at the same level as in the first round, that wait for a third victory will surely go on for McHale.
Prediction: Wozniacki in 2
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