The quarterfinal line-up is set at the China Open and it should provide no shortage of thrilling tennis with a number of star names set to be in action. But who will reach the semifinals in Beijing?
China Open Quarterfinal Predictions
Ashleigh Barty vs Petra Kvitova
Head-to-head: Kvitova 4-1 Barty
This could well turn out to be some match with these two having contested some crackers in the past. But Petra Kvitova has unquestionably had the upper hand, even if she did lose their most recent match at the Miami Open earlier this year. The Czech, who always seems to enjoy playing in China, has looked sharp so far in Beijing, beating Kristina Mladenovic 6-4 6-4 before accounting for ninth seed Belinda Bencic 6-3 6-3.
Ashleigh Barty looked similarly impressive in her opener, beating Yulia Putintseva 6-4 6-2, but had to work rather harder in the last 16 to get the better of Zheng Saisai. She has also looked vulnerable throughout her career to being outhit by players who can hit the ball as hard as Kvitova. Sabalenka did just that last week in the Wuhan Open semifinals, as did Kvitova in the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park. Barty could well find herself in trouble again at the China Open.
Prediction: Kvitova in 3
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Caroline Wozniacki vs Daria Kasatkina
Head-to-head: Kasatkina 3-1 Wozniacki
Daria Kasatkina has enjoyed a confidence-building run this week, one she desperately needed after a season of struggle. The Russian began her China Open campaign by rallying past Peng Shuai and she backed that up by ousting Wuhan champion Sabalenka in straight-sets. Kasatkina then booked her place in the semifinals by beating her compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4 6-3. And she may well have real confidence in her chances of reaching the last four having beaten Caroline Wozniacki three times in four meetings.
But the Dane has been in excellent form so far in Beijing. She started her week with a comprehensive victory over Lauren Davis and hasn’t looked back, adding straight-sets victories over Christina McHale and Katerina Siniakova. Wozniacki was, at times, guilty of playing too passively against Siniakova. But her game is evidently well-suited to the conditions in Beijing and if she is willing to play more on the front foot against Kasatkina, she should be in good position to make a dent in the Russian’s head-to-head advantage.
Prediction: Wozniacki in 3
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Elina Svitolina vs Kiki Bertens
Head-to-head: Svitolina 2-1 Bertens
Elina Svitolina and Kiki Bertens are another pair that have had some gripping contests in the past. And with both women looking to be in good form so far in Beijing, this could well be another. Svitolina has had to battle hard all week, but has shown commendable grit to pick up victories over Anastasija Sevastova, Wang Yafan and Sofia Kenin. Bertens too has been pushed hard in her three matches. On paper, there looks to be little to split this pair. But Bertens did rather benefit from Hercog’s inability to hold onto a lead in their third-round clash. It seems unlikely that Svitolina will be so forgiving.
Prediction: Svitolina in 3
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Naomi Osaka vs Bianca Andreescu
Head-to-head: first meeting
This is the big one. Surely the first of many significant clashes to come in the future, both Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu will surely be desperate to lay a marker down. Osaka, after a long period of struggle after her Australian Open triumph, rediscovered her winning touch in Osaka where she claimed the title without dropping a set. She has continued in that vein so far in Beijing, storming through Jessica Pegula, Andrea Petkovic and Alison Riske, all in straight-sets.
Andreescu, meanwhile, has just kept on winning. She hasn’t tasted defeat in any of her last 16 matches, winning the Rogers Cup and the US Open in that spell. And the Canadian really turned on the style to dismiss the qualifier Jennifer Brady 6-1 6-3 in the third round. But when Osaka is in this kind of form, she takes some stopping. This has all the makings of a classic, but it could also be where the Andreescu juggernaut finally runs out of steam.
Prediction: Osaka in 3
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