Saturday at WTA Palermo will feature both semifinals. Qinwen Zheng, a top-10 player, will lead a remaining field comprised of the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 seeds. Irina Begu, world No. 142, has been playing at a very good level all week. It has been a very entertaining tournament all week, and that trend should continue into the final weekend.
WTA Palermo Semifinal Predictions
Irina-Camelia Begu vs Karolina Muchova
Head-to-head: Begu 2-1 Muchova
Muchova is generally the much better player of the two, but she had wrist surgery and only recently returned to the tour. Moreover, Begu is much better on clay than her ranking suggests, and she won two of their previous matchups, all on clay. Given their current circumstances, it should be a very close match, decided by small details. Judging by their level this week, Begu should have a slight edge, but it is bound to come down to a few key points here and there.
Prediction: Begu in 3
Qinwen Zheng vs Diane Parry
Head-to-head: Zheng 1-0 Parry
After an incredible start to the season with a final at the Australian Open, Zheng has had a somewhat disappointing season, especially on grass. She has, however, the opportunity to get back on track here. She’s the #1 seed and a solid favorite to take the title this week. Parry has been playing well this week, but she has had to overcome three back-to-back tough 3-setters in a row to reach this stage and is bound to be a bit fatigued, both physically and mentally, going into this semifinal. All things considered, Parry should be able to put up a good fight for a while, take a set, and make it close, but eventually, it should be Zheng making it through to the final.
Prediction: Zheng in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
