The final WTA 500 of the year is coming to an end with Barbora Krejcikova taking on Zheng Qinwen in the final at Zhengzhou. World #18 against the world #24 in what should be a very competitive battle and a nice way to close out this tournament category for the season. Who do you think will claim the trophy?
WTA Zhengzhou Final Prediction
Barbora Krejcikova vs Zheng Qinwen
Head-to-head: first meeting
Barbora Krejcikova had that electric start of the season where she really made a case for being one of the best players in the world, especially when she defeated Iga Swiatek to win the WTA 1000 in Dubai. The Czech didn’t follow it up and lost her consistency, but she’s still making deep runs from time to time. In fact, just last month she won San Diego and only played one match between that and Zhengzhou.
Qinwen Zheng was struggling to find her WTA Tour title for a while considering her potential, but she got over the line in Palermo in July. The Chinese also claimed the gold medal at the Asian Games recently, before getting blown out in the opening round in Beijing (just like Krejcikova). Her run to the Zhengzhou final has been just as impressive as the Czech’s with an upset over Maria Sakkari and no sets lost along the way.
This should be a high-quality final and it’s hard to pick a favorite. Krejcikova has generally performed well in championship matches, winning 7 of her last 9. It’s hard to talk about these patterns for Zheng yet as this is just her third opportunity. The Chinese might even have more potential down the line with her very aggressive groundstrokes but for now, this matchup seems a little tough for her. Her opponents so far have been a lot more basic in their set of abilities, while Krejcikova can provide a wide repertoire of skills and knows how to throw more dynamic ball-strikers off their rhythm. Let’s grant her the slightest of edges here.
Prediction: Krejcikova in 3
Main photo credit: Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports
