The semifinal matches at the WTA 250 in Guangzhou promise to be very tightly contested, just like the quarterfinals were, with all four players left in the draw having a very realistic chance of hoisting the trophy. The #1 seed Magda Linette is still in the draw, but two of the remaining players are actually unseeded. It’s a tournament where there’s no significant gap between seeded and unseeded players, making it an extremely hard one to predict.
WTA Guangzhou Semifinal Predictions
Greet Minnen vs Xiyu Wang
Head-to-head: first meeting
Minnen has played six hours in her last two matches just to get to this stage and that might be a difference maker between two such evenly matched players. Wang has played considerably less tennis so far this week, despite a tough match with Hruncakova in the quarterfinals Thursday, so she should in theory be the fresher player of the two, giving her an edge in what should otherwise be a very even matchup. With this being a first time matchup, it’s hard to really predict the dynamics but given the circumstances Wang should be able to prevail.
Prediction: Wang in 2
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Magda Linette vs Yulia Putintseva
Head-to-head: Linette 5-3 Putintseva
This match has been very even over the years and this ninth installment shouldn’t be any different. Linette is the much higher ranked player and the #1 seed in this tournament, but the difference in ranking definitely doesn’t reflect the difference in ability between both players. Putintseva certainly has the weapons to overcome Linette here and she has been playing really well all week, even bageling Maria in the last set of their quarterfinal matchup. The match is very hard to predict, it could genuinely go either way and should come down to small details; it will mostly come down to form on the day, and judging by this week’s performance it’s perhaps fair to give Putintseva the smallest of edges.
Prediction: Putintseva in 3
Main Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
