We've got two semi-final picks from the WTA Huzhou Open today, with overcast skies and rain threatening in Huzhou. Both matches are first-time meetings, so there's not a lot of history to lean on here, but let's dig into what we know.
WTA Huzhou Open Predictions
Veronika Erjavec vs Xiyu Wang
Head-to-head: First meeting
Erjavec is the higher-ranked player here at 96, but Wang has been a clay-court performer for much of her career and reached this stage for a reason. At 170 in the world, she's been bouncing around the lower end of the rankings for a while, but on clay she's always been capable of making things uncomfortable for higher-ranked opponents.
I think this one goes the distance. Erjavec has the ranking, but Wang's clay game tends to drag matches into long exchanges and she's patient enough to make it work over three sets.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Katarzyna Kawa vs Hanyu Guo
Head-to-head: First meeting
Two players sitting within ten ranking spots of each other, and neither with much to separate them on paper. Kawa is a clay-court veteran who's been grinding on this surface for years, but Guo is playing at home in China, and that crowd factor in a semi-final shouldn't be completely dismissed.
On a slow clay court with rain potentially softening conditions further, Guo's familiarity with the surface and the surroundings, which is no small thing in a home semi-final, feels like the tiebreaker. That said, Kawa won't make it easy, but Guo gets over the line, all things considered.
Prediction: Guo in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Kobe Li/Nexpher Images via ZUMA Press Wire