It should be an entertaining start to the WTA Zhengzhou Open with six first-round matches on the slate in Henan province. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match on the schedule, including Lesia Tsurenko vs Diana Schnaider. But who will book their place in the second round?
WTA Zhengzhou Day 1 Predictions
Nao Hibino vs Donna Vekic
Head-to-head: Vekic 2-1 Hibino
It’s been a very difficult few weeks for Donna Vekic, with the Croatian having failed to win a match since retiring in the third round in Cincinnati. Will this be the right moment for the Croatian to turn it around? She does have a winning record against Nao Hibino, but they haven’t played for five years, and the Japanese looked sharp coming through the qualifying. With Vekic’s confidence surely very low, this looks like a great opportunity for Hibino to level their head-to-head.
Prediction: Hibino in 2
[cta id=445 type=cta]
Lucia Bronzetti vs Guo Hanyu
Head-to-head: first meeting
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this will be the first meeting between this pair with Lucia Bronzetti regularly playing at tour-level and Guo Hanyu appearing at this level rather less frequently. The Chinese has been ranked inside the top 300, but currently finds herself ranked 439th in the world. With the home crowd behind her, Guo might be able to make a match of this, but realisticially Bronzetti should be a cut above her opponent here.
Prediction: Bronzetti in 2
Kateryna Volodko vs Zheng Qinwen
Head-to-head: first meeting
Guo’s chances look to be slim, but the Chinese fans may have more to enjoy when Zheng Qinwen takes on Kateryna Volodko. She impressed in reaching the US Open quarterfinals (even if she was well-beaten there by Aryna Sabalenka) and clearly has a very bright future. Kateryna Volodko, in contrast, is surely approaching the end of even this second phase of her career, but did play well in the qualifying to beat Erin Routliffe and 10th seed You Xiaodi. Zheng, however, will represent a marked step up in the quality of opposition.
Prediction: Qinwen in 2
Main photo prediction: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
