A couple of quarter-final picks from the WTA China Open in Beijing today, and both matches have something interesting going on. We've got a comfortable favourite in one and a genuine coin-flip in the other. Let's get into it.
WTA China Open Predictions
Elise Mertens vs Iga Swiatek
Head-to-head: Mertens 0-2 Swiatek
Mertens is a solid top-20 player and she rarely beats herself, but Swiatek is just a completely different level and both of their previous meetings went Iga's way without much drama. Mertens doesn't have the firepower to push Swiatek around on hard courts and Swiatek's ability to construct points and stay patient in long rallies makes her really hard to break down for someone who relies on consistency rather than pace.
Hard to see this being competitive at all.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Qinwen Zheng vs Elina Svitolina
Head-to-head: First meeting
This one's trickier. Zheng is ranked 54th right now but that number undersells her, and playing in front of a home crowd in Beijing gives her a real lift. She hits the ball hard and flat off both sides and can absolutely go toe-to-toe with top-10 players on this surface. That said, Svitolina is seventh in the world for a reason, and she's become so good at not panicking in big moments, grinding out wins over better-ranked opponents all year.
I feel like Svitolina's experience in tight matches gets her over the line, but Zheng will push her hard and this could go anywhere on the day.
Prediction: Svitolina in 3
For full predictions on ATP and WTA matches today, check out Uppset.
Credit Image: © Marcin Cholewinski/ZUMA Press Wire