The semifinals are set at the Wuhan Open and it’s an incredible lineup. The defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka will face the winner of the China Open, Coco Gauff while the Olympics champion and Chinese No.1, Qinwen Zheng will face her compatriot, Xinyu Wang. As always, we here at LWOT will offer our predictions for the semifinals. But which players will advance to the final?
WTA Wuhan Semifinal Predictions
Qinwen Zheng vs Xinyu Wang
Head-to-Head: First meeting
Qinwen Zheng continued her winning streak against Italian opponents and defeated the No.3 seed, Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals. The fans in Wuhan adore her, which must have helped her in the last two matches. It has been a great year for Zheng and her quarterfinal win guarantees a Chinese player in the finals. Xinyu Wang backed her wonderful performance against Jessica Pegula and defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in a super-tight contest, saving multiple match points. She kept fighting despite being behind in the scoreline.
Wang will play the biggest match of her life on Saturday and will look to end her five-match losing streak at the tour-level semifinals. She is a clean ball striker who can take time away from anyone. However, Zheng has a better serve and, also has more experience in playing these big matches. If the Chinese No.1 is locked in like she has been this week, she will win this.
Prediction: Zheng in 2
Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff
Head-to-Head: Sabalenka 3-4 Gauff
Aryna Sabalenka easily defeated Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals to set up the blockbuster match with Coco Gauff. She was hammering the returns and looked much more composed than her previous round match against Yulia Putintseva. Coco Gauff continued her brilliant Asian Swing run with another solid performance in the quarterfinals. She was brilliant from the baseline and was crushing the ball, especially in the first set. Gauff hit 8 double faults and will need to limit them against Sabalenka.
These two are used to meet on the biggest of stages and this is another one of them. Both players are in brilliant form which makes this a dream semifinal matchup. Sabalenka is a two-time champion at the Wuhan Open and hasn’t lost a match at this place while Gauff is going for the China double. These two know each other’s game quite well and as much as tactics matter, the player who will be mentally tougher will get the upper hand. I am backing Sabalenka to pepper the Gauff forehand and edge this out in three sets.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
