Aryna Sabalenka vs Qinwen Zheng Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA Qatar Open

Prediction published on 01/11/2024, 07:32  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 01/11/2024 at 07:50 in Tennis Predictions

World number one Aryna Sabalenka begins her WTA Tour Finals campaign. Her first match in the Purple Group sees her take on Qinwen Zheng. Also to be faced in this round-robin group are Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini. Here's our match prediction.

The top two in the group go into the semi-finals of this tournament in Doha. Sabalenka has never won this tournament but was the losing finalist in 2022 and a semi-finalist last year. The 26-year-old recently went top of the rankings and has won four titles this year.

Recent form has seen Sabalenka win three of her last four tournaments, all on hard courts which is the surface for this tournament. Her most recent title was in Wuhan and Sabalenka beat Zheng in the final in three sets.

Qinwen Zheng is the world number seven and has reached at least the semi-finals in her last three tournaments. After her loss to Sabalenka in Wuhan, the Chinese player won the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

All four of her previous matches against the world number one have been lost, three this year. The recent loss in Wuhan is the only match in which she's won a set. We tip Sabalenka to win this match in straight sets.