The knockout stages of the United Cup begin on Day 6 in Perth. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is set to be in action again, as Poland face off against China. As always, we at LWOT give predictions for all the contests taking place on the sixth day of the United Cup, including Caroline Garcia vs Jasmine Paolini. But which players and teams do you think will win?
United Cup Day 6 Predictions
Iga Swiatek vs Zheng Qinwen
Head-to-head: Swiatek 4-0 Zheng
The world #1’s level has been ominously good at the United Cup so far. Swiatek ended last season very strongly, and she seems to have carried that momentum perfectly into the new year. Zheng will need a perfect display to compete, although she can take some confidence from winning both her United Cup singles matches at the event so far. Although Swiatek has won their four previous meetings, the Chinese player did take a set in three of those contests. Zheng was the WTA’s most improved player last season, and she will need to show all those skills. Serving well will be particularly key.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Hubert Hurkacz vs Zhang Zhizhen
Head-to-head: Hurkacz 2-1 Zhang
Hurkacz had a terrific end to last season, most notably winning the Shanghai Masters. However, he has not been at his best so far in the singles matches at the United Cup. The Pole struggled to a win against Thiago Seyboth Wild, before losing from a set up against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Zhizhen won a tight match with Jiri Lehecka, before unsurprisingly losing to Novak Djokovic in the tie with Serbia.
This pair had two very tight battles at the end of last season, prevailing one each in final-set tiebreaks. This is also likely to come down to fine margins and few chances. It could go either way, but overall, I will back Hurkacz to raise his United Cup singles level to claim victory.
Prediction: Hurkacz in 3
Hubert Hurkacz/Iga Swiatek vs Zhizhen Zhang/Zheng Qinwen
Head-to-head: First meeting
This Chinese pair have combined well in their previous two matches. They thrashed a Czech pair that included Marketa Vondrousova, and only narrowly lost to a Serbian pair that contained Novak Djokovic. Nonetheless, this is still a huge challenge for them. Hurkacz and Swiatek inflicted an incredible double-bagel on their Spanish opponents in their previous doubles match. They have had other successes playing with each other at the event, and their contrasting styles suit each other perfectly. It is hard to foresee anything other than a Polish win in the United Cup doubles.
Prediction: Hurkacz/Swiatek in 2
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
