It promises to be another great day of WTA Wuhan action with the quarterfinal round. All four quarterfinals are played Friday, with Coco Gauff and the US Open champion, Aryna Sabalenka, among those in action. We at LWOT predict all four contests in this article, but which players do you think will reach the semifinals?
WTA Wuhan Quarterfinal Predictions
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Xinyu Wang
Head-to-head: Alexandrova 1-1 Wang
Wang defeated Jessica Pegula for the second time this season in the last round. The clean-hitting home player must overcome an entirely different matchup against Alexandrova, who relies much more on her serve and keeping the rallies short. Alexandrova only dropped two games in the last round against Hailey Baptiste, although the American struggled severely throughout the contest. Wang can be inconsistent, but she may find enough opportunities with her more complete game and with a home crowd behind her.
Prediction: Wang in 3
Aryna Sabalenka vs Magdalena Frech
Head-to-head: First meeting
Sabalenka is guaranteed to become the new world No. 1 the week after the Wuhan Open ends after reaching the quarterfinal. She recovered from losing the opening set against the tricky Yulia Putintseva in the previous round. Sabalenka should be more comfortable in this contest. Putintseva used her variety to disrupt the Belarusian in the opening set, something Frech is less adept at. Expect Sabalenka to hit her way to a straightforward triumph and extend her lead in the race for the year-end No. 1 spot with Swiatek.
Prediction: Sabalenka in 2
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Jasmine Paolini vs Qinwen Zheng
Head-to-head: Zheng 2-0 Paolini
This will be a fun match between two breakout players this season. Wimbledon finalist Paolini has been one of the best at finding ways to win tough battles this year. However, this is a challenging matchup for her. Dominating on serve and return is crucial against Paolini because she is so good during the rallies. Zheng possesses one of the most potent first deliveries on the WTA Tour and is capable of attacking the Italian’s much weaker serve. That makes her the favorite to beat Paolini again.
Prediction: Zheng in 2
Coco Gauff vs Magda Linette
Head-to-head: Gauff 1-0 Linette
The brave decision to part ways with Brad Gilbert has proven to be the right move by Gauff. She is playing some of the best tennis of her career, sweeping aside Marta Kostyuk in the last round. Linette defeated Liudmila Samsonova and Daria Kasatkina on her way to the quarterfinals and has nothing to lose here. But the Pole does not have much in her game to hurt Gauff with. Linette is not a powerful player, and her best shot is her backhand. Unfortunately for the 32-year-old, the backhand-to-backhand battle is one Gauff almost never loses.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
