Just four players remain at WTA China Open in Beijing–the last WTA 1000 on the 2023 calendar. A marquee matchup to garnish semifinal day pits the in-form Coco Gauff up against former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The other semifinal is a rematch from Montreal as fifth seed Elena Rybakina locks horns with fellow big server Liudmila Samsonova. But who will get within spitting distance of the trophy in Beijing?
WTA Beijing Semifinal Predictions
Elena Rybakina vs Liudmila Samsonova
Head-to-head: Samsonova 3-0 Rybakina
Liudmila Samsonova has been in fine fettle this week beating two Grand Slam champions en route to the semifinal. It’s her fourth of the season. Although she didn’t hit the heights of last season when she won three WTA titles, she could still walk away as the surprise champion of the last WTA 1000 on the calendar. She will be rubbing her hands with glee at the prospect of facing Elena Rybakina.
Samsonova has beaten the Kazakh three times without reply in their head-to-head including a semifinal in Montreal a couple of months ago. But the less said about that tournament the better for Rybakina who slammed the WTA leadership team for the scheduling farce that encapsulated the event. Rybakina will come into this match in the right headspace. Her concentration and composure were exemplified in knocking out top seed Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets in the quarterfinal. The Kazakh has been a textbook example of excelling in high-pressure situations this week and she is likely to do the same here.
Prediction: Rybakina in 2
[cta id=445 type=cta]
Iga Swiatek vs Coco Gauff
Head-to-head: Swiatek 7-1 Gauff
For 75 weeks, Iga Swiatek was the WTA’s invincible World No. 1. Not since the final peak of Serena Williams had a player been so dominant at every tournament. Each of Swiatek’s 11 losses this year was treated as an upset, and rightly so. But she’s mortal now having lost more times than the entirety of the 2022 season. One of the players who administered a shock defeat was Coco Gauff, who earned her first win in eight meetings against the Pole in Cincinnati. The result served as a catalyst for Gauff’s title-winning run at the tournament and at the US Open where she won her first Grand Slam.
There are only a few signs indicating Gauff’s best tennis will give up on her in this match. The young American navigated a couple of litmus tests without playing too well. She confessed to having minor struggles with her serve, and her reformed forehand has been picked apart most of the time. But Gauff looked much more fit and eager in a masterful display against Maria Sakkari in the last eight. Swiatek, by contrast, dodged a tough slog against Caroline Garcia. Momentum is certainly a real thing in this sport and Gauff is seemingly on an inexorable march in Beijing.
Prediction: Gauff in 3
Main Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
