Three qualifying final picks from the China Open in Beijing today, and all three feature ranked players looking to punch their ticket into the main draw. Let's get into it.
WTA China Open Predictions
Harriet Dart vs Yexin Ma
Head-to-head: First meeting
Dart has been one of the more consistent qualifiers on the WTA tour over the past couple of years and her big serve gives her a real weapon on hard courts. Ma is ranked lower and this is a first meeting, so there's not much history to lean on, but Dart's experience in these pressure situations should make a difference in the third set if it gets there.
Prediction: Dart in 3
Aliaksandra Sasnovich vs Varvara Lepchenko
Head-to-head: First meeting
Sasnovich is a seasoned tour veteran and has been around long enough to know how to handle qualifying matches, which can be scrappy and nervy. Lepchenko at 189 in the world is a significant step down in ranking, and hard to see this being competitive at all. That said, I think Sasnovich gets through this, though it might take three sets to do it.
Prediction: Sasnovich in 3
Andrea Lazaro Garcia vs Linda Fruhvirtova
Head-to-head: First meeting
This is the most interesting of the three. Fruhvirtova was a highly touted prospect not long ago and has the game to cause problems on hard courts, but she's been sliding down the rankings and hasn't been able to find her best tennis consistently. Garcia at 137, who holds the ranking edge, holds the steadier recent form too and that should be enough here, all things considered.
Prediction: Garcia in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
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