Lucia Bronzetti vs Naomi Osaka Prediction & Betting Tips - WTA China Open

Prediction published on 24/09/2024, 07:29  by Steve Ashfield | Modified on 24/09/2024 at 07:35 in Tennis Predictions

Unseeded pair Naomi Osaka and Lucia Bronzetti meet in round one of the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing. The winner will face 21st seed Yulia Putintseva in round two of this hard court tournament. Here's our match prediction.

Only four places separate these two players in the latest rankings. Naomi Osaka is in the highest position at 73rd and this is her first tournament since the US Open. Osaka reached round two in New York and had a good win over Jelena Ostapenko.

The 26-year-old is still battling to make her way back up the rankings. This year has seen her make it to two WTA Tour quarter-finals. One of those was on hard courts in Doha, the other on grass.

11 of her 20 hard court matches have been won this year. This is only her second match against Bronzetti, the other being on clay this year at Roland Garros and won by Osaka in three sets.

Lucia Bronzetti went up nine places in the latest rankings and is now 77th. Last week saw her get to the semi-finals in Tunisia but no top 120 players were beaten. That was her first event since a second round loss to Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open.

The Italian has only won 12 of her 29 hard court matches played in 2024. One title has been won by her this year but that was played on her preferred clay court surface.

Her run to the semi-final last week was only the second time she's won two consecutive main draw hard court matches this year. We tip Osaka to win this match in straight sets.