The WTA Premier 5 Wuhan Open starts with a stellar field. Hoping to improve on her dismal result in Osaka, American Sloane Stephens will square off against Zhang Shuai. Entering on a Wild Card, American Venus Williams will face her compatriot Danielle Collins in her opener, whilst in an all-Belarusian battle defending champion Aryna Sabalenka faces Aliaksandra Sasnovich. But who will advance on day one?
Wuhan Open Day One Predictions
Sloane Stephens vs Zhang Shuai
Head to head: Stephens 2-2 Zhang
It’s been a challenging year for Stephens. Entering the Wuhan Open as the tenth seed, the struggling American is looking for a deep run. All the more so after her Pan Pacific Open was cut short by Italy’s Camila Giorgi. An bruising opening-round loss for Stephens has perhaps taken a further toll on her already faltering confidence. Add to that Stephens’ 0-3 record at the Wuhan Open. It will be a tough go for Stephens who has won just one match since Wimbledon.
Zhang, meanwhile, has had a respectable few months, reaching the third round of the US Open and the quarterfinals at the Guangzhou Open. She will also have the crowd squarely on her side, which should give her a lift, particularly if the match gets close. But considering Stephens’ miserable form of late and her poor record in Wuhan, it’s hard to see the match being especially close. This one is on Zhang’s racquet and don’t expect her to let the opportunity pass her by.
Prediction: Zhang in 2
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Dayana Yastremska vs Ajla Tomljanovic
Head to head: Yastremska 2-0 Tomljanovic
In the third match of a burgeoning rivalry, Dayana Yastremska and Ajla Tomljanovic will meet for the first time since the Hua Hin final, where Yastremska lifted the trophy. It was a tight, three-set match which Yastremska claimed in the deciding-set tiebreak. While Yastremska has a powerful serve, she’s been known to throw in her fair share of double faults. But some big hitting and fearless play has given the rising teen a winning 16-10 record on the hard courts. And, the world #28 breaks opponents 38% of the time. It makes Yastremska a formidable threat to all but the Tour’s elite.
Tomljanovic, meanwhile has made a fine start to her Asian swing. She is coming off a nice run in Zhengzhou where she reached the semifinals before falling to Karolina Pliskova. En route to the semis, the Aussie defeated third seed Kiki Bertens and the Silicon Valley Classic champion Zheng Saisai. However, she did lose out to Priscilla Hon in the second round at the Korea Open. And Tomljanovic can struggle with her service, opening the door for her opponents to break. Expect Yastremska to take advantage.
Prediction: Yastremska in 3
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Venus Williams vs Danielle Collins
Head to head: Williams 0-1 Collins
Williams had a solid, if unspectacular, North American hard-court swing. Her best performances came in Cincinnati where the veteran reached the quarterfinals, defeating some top tier talent along the way including defending champion Kiki Bertens and US Open quarterfinalist Donna Vekic. She did fall in the second round at the US Open, but there was no shame in that defeat which came at the hands of the in-form Elina Svitolina, who went on to reach the semifinals. The 39-year-old historically plays well in Wuhan which may well give her confidence. While Collins chalked up a win in their only meeting, which came at the 2018 Miami Open, expect Williams to prove too strong in Wuhan.
Prediction: Williams in 3
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Aryna Sabalenka vs Aliaksandra Sasnovich
Head to head: first meeting
Sabalenka is looking to defend her title at the Wuhan Open and she will begin her campaign against her compatriot Sasnovich. While Sasnovich is a capable player, she doesn’t have the weapons or power of her compatriot. The Sabalenka serve remains to be an Achilles’ heel for the Belarusian, however, particularly as her double fault count continues to climb. But, the world #13 has enough power to hit through Sasnovich. Look for Sabalenka to use her power to control the court and end points on her terms.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
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Daria Kasatkina vs Caroline Garcia
Head to head: first meeting
One suspects that neither Caroline Garcia nor Daria Kasatkina will look back on 2019 with much fondness. Indeed, Garcia has had difficulty getting a first round win since July and the Frenchwoman’s 6-12 record on hard courts for 2019 is a poor return for a player of her considerable talents. As a result of her struggles, Garcia has dropped from her career-high ranking of world #4 in September 2018 to her current spot at 30th in the world. It seems that the big moments are just too big for Garcia.
Kasatkina, meanwhile, has shown flashes of the brilliance that took her in to the top 10, but has lacked the sort of consistency that was the hallmark of her 2018 season as her 9-18 record this year illustrates. Her serve continues to cause her real problems and she has a woeful 158 double faults in 2019. That statistic is made all the more damaging by the fact she has hit just 31 aces this year. But her return remains most effective and that should be enough for the 22-year-old to successfully start her Wuhan Open campaign.
Prediction: Kasatkina in 2
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