There has been no shortage of entertaining action in Hua Hin so far and the excitement should continue into the quarterfinals. A number of star names are set to battle for a place in the last four at the Thailand Open, but who will advance to the semifinals and who will fall to defeat?
Thailand Open Quarterfinal Predictions
Elina Svitolina vs Nao Hibino
Head-to-head: Svitolina 1-0 Hibino
Elina Svitolina may well be disappointed that she failed to make more of an impression at the Australian Open, losing 1-6 2-6 in the third round to Garbine Muguruza. But the Ukrainian has, for the most part, been a very consistent performer over the last 12 months on the WTA Tour, reaching Grand Slam semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open. And so far at the Thailand Open, she has looked every inch a top four player, dismissing Bibiane Schoofs and Storm Sanders in straight-sets to reach the last eight.
She may face sterner resistance against eighth seed Nao Hibino, who is also yet to drop a set so far in Hua Hin, having beaten Arina Rodionova and Thai qualifier Peangtarn Plipuech. But Svitolina is unquestionably the heavy favourite coming into this match and rightly so. She also won this pair’s only previous meeting at a canter, beating Hibino 6-0 6-3 two years ago in Honk Kong. Hibino will surely be more competitive in Hua Hin, but it is nonetheless hard to see any outcome other than a Svitolina win.
Prediction: Svitolina in 2
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Wang Qiang vs Leonie Kung
Head-to-head: first meeting
Leonie Kung has relatively little experience of the main WTA Tour and has never been ranked inside the world’s top 250. But the Swiss has tapped into a rich vein of form at the Thailand Open, storming through the qualifying and into the quarterfinals, without dropping a set. Her 6-3 6-1 win over seventh seed Zhu Lin surely has to rank amongst the finest of her fledgling career. But the 19-year-old is set to face a stern test in the last eight in the form of third seed Wang Qiang.
The Chinese is in excellent form, having reached the fourth round at Melbourne Park, beating the great Serena Williams en route. She has continued to excel at the Thailand Open, beating her compatriot Han Xinyun 6-1 6-1 in her opener, before accounting for Poland’s Katarzyna Kawa 6-3 6-4. And for all that Kung has impressed this week, she has never faced a player of Wang’s quality and experience. Expect the Chinese to prove too strong.
Prediction: Wang in 2
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Zheng Saisai vs Patricia Maria Tig
Head-to-head: first meeting
Since her outstanding run to the final in Bucharest as an unranked player, Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig has continued to climb back towards the top of the game. And she has played some fine tennis so far at the Thailand Open, battling past Wang Yafan in a third-set tiebreak to reach the second round, where she beat You Xiaodi in comprehensive fashion. Fourth seed Zheng Saisai, meanwhile, made a slightly slow start against Natalija Kostic, but has since looked sharp in Hua Hin. Her consistency from the baseline and skill in the forecourt should be enough to take her to victory over Tig in what looks likely to be a close contest.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
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Magda Linette vs Wang Xiyu
Head-to-head: first meeting
Magda Linette has made a fine start to her Thailand Open campaign, beating Ukraine’s Kateryna Bondarenko 6-2 6-2 before ousting Peng Shuai of China 7-5 6-1 to book her place in the quarterfinals. But she will face an opponent surely full of confidence in Wang Xiyu. The Chinese too has looked sharp in Hua Hin, upsetting second seed Petra Martic in straight-sets in the first round before backing that up with a 6-3 6-4 win over Austria’s Barbara Haas.
But she will need to guard against nerves in this match. The chance to reach a WTA International semifinal aged just 18 is huge for Wang, but if she is overawed by the occasion, it will surely slip through her grasp. However, even if she is able to cope with her nerves, this will be a tough ask. Linette may not be one of the biggest stars on the WTA Tour, but she has been playing the best tennis of her career over the last 12 months and her greater experience and consistency should give her the edge over the young gun.
Prediction: Linette in 3
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