Beijing Scores – 39 / 52 (75%)
WTA Beijing Final Poll for Sunday
—
WTA Beijing SF Polls for Saturday
—
WTA Beijing SF Predictions for Saturday
Day 8 – 1/2
Thoughts about the SFs in Friday’s Set Points post
Halep d. Ostapenko in 3 sets
Kvitova d. Garcia in 2 sets
—
WTA Beijing QF Polls for Friday
—
WTA Beijing QF Predictions for Friday
Day 7 – 3/4
Thoughts about all 4 QFs in Thursday’s Set Points Post
Kvitova d. Strycova in 2 sets
Svitolina d. Garcia in 2 sets
Ostapenko d. Cirstea in 3 sets
Halep d. Kasatkina in 3 sets
—
WTA Beijing R3 Polls for Thursday
—
WTA Beijing R3 Predictions for Thursday
Day 6 – 3/5
Pliskova d. Cirstea in 2 sets – Not entirely convinced by Pliskova right now, but I feel like this is the type of the match-up where she will prevail with a solid display.
Ostapenko d. Peng in 3 sets – Another good week for both, instinct with Ostapenko.
Svitolina d. Vesnina in 2 sets – I’d be surprised if Vesnina can produce a complete enough performance to unsettle a super steady, Svitolina.
Kvitova d. Wozniacki in 3 sets – Preview
Cornet d. Garcia in 2 sets – I’d guess that this may be a match too far for Garcia.
Strycova d. Gavrilova in 3 sets – Toss-up, would not be surprised with either winning this one.
—
WTA Beijing R3 Polls for Wednesday
—
WTA Beijing R3 Predictions for Wednesday
Day 5 – 1/2
Thoughts in Tuesday’s Set Points post
Kasatkina d. Radwanska in 3 sets
Sharapova d. Halep in 3 sets
—
WTA Beijing R2 Polls for Wednesday
—
WTA Beijing R2 Predictions for Wednesday
Day 5 – 3/4
Ostapenko d. Stosur in 3 sets – Very interesting match-up! I really do think that if Stosur hadn’t been injured with her hand vs. Ostapenko earlier this year at the French Open then she may have won the whole caboodle. A good win over Siniakova in the first round for Stosur in her comeback but an in-form Ostapenko may be a step too far. Ostapenko will have had four full days of from singles which should have recharged the batteries.
Garcia d. Mertens in 2 sets – First-time match-up, a good opportunity for Mertens as tricky to say how Garcia will react after Wuhan. I’ll go for positively!
Niculescu d. Peng in 3 sets – Interesting stat alert is that all five of their previous matches have gone the distance! I wonder if Niculescu’s game may eventually tire Peng out. I thought the Romanian player was injured but she looked good vs. an albeit erratic, Konta in the first round.
Svitolina d. Barty in 3 sets – Thoughts in Tuesday’s Set Points post
—
WTA Beijing R2 Predictions for Tuesday
Day 4 – 7/8
Sharapova d. Makarova in 3 sets – Based on recent form, Makarova has the clear edge. However, I think Sharapova’s first round win over Sevastova where she saved a match point, was huge, and she’s had two days off since too. The head-to-head for this match-up is also important – Sharapova has won all seven previous matches, dropping just one set along the way in their very first encounter in Madrid.
Radwanska d. Zhang in 3 sets – Swaying with this one and lost my nerve in the end, a bit too much of a risk for me! Zhang has built some momentum after winning the title in Guangzhou and Radwanska, while playing a little bit better, is vulnerable against a big hitter on their day. Still, Radwanska has never dropped a set against Zhang in three previous meetings and the Chinese player will need to play a super match to prevail.
Halep d. Rybarikova in 2 sets – The win over Riske in three tough sets was likely just what Halep needed to kick start her Asian swing. Rybarikova will keep her on her toes for sure but i’d go for Halep to prevail. The Romanian player won their most recent match in Toronto, 6-3 6-4.
Pliskova d. Petkovic in 2 sets – Thrilled to see Petkovic winning matches again on the big stage. While Petkovic does lead their head-to-head, 2-1, the pair haven’t played in two and a half years. I think Pliskova will just be too strong, notably on serve.
Vesnina d. Duan in 2 sets – The pair played just last week in Wuhan where Vesnina won a tight two setter, 6-3 6-4. Duan should have done more in the second but Vesnina was mostly clutch to close in two. Interested to see if Duan’s first round win over Mlads gives her a bit more confidence going into this clash.
Kvitova d. Lepchenko in 2 sets – Lepchenko’s had a good run post-US Open but she’ll need to overturn a 0-7 head-to-head record against Kvitova. The American has won the first set in three of their last four matches. Petra’s pretty solid in Asia and while wasteful on break points in her opener, served very well.
Gavrilova d. Vandeweghe in 3 sets – Depends a lot on CoCo, serve well and with focus and she likely wins this in two. I’d guess Gavrilova could make this close with her array of shots and defence, and after a very good win over Kontaveit. A solid candidate for match of the day.
Cirstea d. McHale in 3 sets – McHale leads the head-to-head, 2-0 although they haven’t played for two and a half years, since the same tournament that Petkovic-Pliskova played for the last time! Not much to really add, instinct with Cirstea gritting out the win.
Kasatkina d. Arruabarrena in 2 sets – I like Dasha in this match-up.
Goerges d. Strycova in 3 sets – Strycova has won their last three matches but the head-to-head remains relatively close with Strycova leading 5-4 overall. I think this could be a fun one and Goerges has been surprisingly consistent this year. I’ll take a risk with Goerges despite their recent matches as Strycova can lose her way with her emotions.
—
WTA Beijing R2 Predictions for Monday
Day 3 – 1/2
Wozniacki d. Pavlyuchenkova in 3 sets – Both were awesome at times in their first round wins. Assuming Woz is fit and healthy (she looked a tad red-faced in her opener) then I think Pavs will have to play a great match. Woz leads the head-to-head, 6-1.
Kerber d. Cornet in 2 sets – Kerber leads their head-to-head, 3-0 including a humdinger in Eastbourne where the German player prevailed in a third set tiebreak. The pair haven’t played in well over two years. While not saying a great deal, I think Kerber is playing some of her best tennis of the year. Cornet’s having a decent run in Asia so intrigued to see how this one pans out.
—
WTA Beijing R1 Predictions for Monday
Day 3 – 1/4
Peng d. Rogers in 3 sets – I’m really on the fence with this match. I would feel more confidently about picking Peng, yet her taped up knee still concerns me. Rogers has shown flashes of high quality tennis this year. This could be a good match.
Strycova d. Muguruza in 2 sets or ret. – I would guess Muguruza requested a late start in Beijing as she was clearly dealing with some injuries in Wuhan. I’d be surprised if she gets out of this with a win for that reason. Note Strycova won their last encounter in Eastbourne, 6-1 6-0! Strycova still has her moments but has been picking up more wins post-US Open.
Stephens d. McHale in 3 sets – Another tough one to call because it’s impossible to know where Stephens’s level will be at.
Vekic d. Vandeweghe in 3 sets – See above for Stephens in relation to Vandeweghe. I’ve been impressed with how well Vekic has competed for much of the year.
Cibulkova d. Mertens in 2 sets – Earlier in the year I would have said upset alert, yet I think Cibulkova is playing a bit better of late and with more intensity.
—
WTA Beijing R1 Predictions for Sunday
Day 2 – 11/13
Zhang Shuai d. Putintseva in 2 sets – Zhang been in the much better form and I think the fast surface and home crowd will all help her out. Putintseva has lost her last three matches and all from a set up.
Rybarikova d. Bouchard in 3 sets – I never know what to expect from Bouchard. From memory, she’s not done immediately well after a long break. Bouchard does lead the head-to-head, 2-0, which could be key since Rybarikova has such a funky game. Who knows?
Siniakova d. Stosur in 3 sets – Since making her return from a hand injury, Stosur has lost all three of her matches and two from a set up. Much like her first title win in Shenzhen, Siniakova hasn’t pushed on since winning Bastad. Still, i’d take Siniakova to win this one.
Wozniacki d. Wang Qiang in 3 sets – Back in the day, Wang Qiang scored a surprise win over Woz in KL in 2103. Wang has been one of the most improved players of the year for me and I think this is a tough match-up. Does she have the belief to beat an in-form Woz?
Radwanska d. Witthoeft in 2 sets – First-time match-up, I don’t see Witthoeft having the staying power to take out the defending champ.
Pliskova d. Suarez Navarro in 2 sets – CSN actually has a decent record against Pliskova, winning three of their five previous clashes. They haven’t played since Birmingham 2015 when Pliskova won handily, 6-2 6-2. I think Pliskova is playing the more consistent tennis of late.
Cornet d. Wang Yafan in 3 sets – Three set epic?
Makarova d. Brady in 2 sets – A wonder if Brady’s game might be one that flummoxes Makarova. Hard to look past Makarova though who has been one of the in-form players on tour during the past two months.
Petkovic d. Bertens in 3 sets – Petkovic leads their head-to-head, 2-0 with three set wins. A good opportunity for Petko since Bertens has looked shaky of late.
Goerges d. Brengle in 2 sets – Their last match was an epic – Goerges won, 13-11 in the first round of the French Open. I’ll tentatively go for a straight setter…
Svitolina d. Zhu Lin in 2 sets – Not sure why Svitolina didn’t play Wuhan. First match in a while but would still fancy a straight setter.
Konta d. Niculescu in 2 sets – Instant thoughts were a tough draw for Konta but actually it may be OK since Niculescu has been struggling with an injury. If she’s confident then I think it is a good match-up as she can use her serve to set up points to come forward. Confidence is clearly low but i’d still fancy Konta to be too good.
Arruabarrena d. Kuznetsova in 3 sets – I’ll throw a random pick one in – i’m not sure how Kuznetsova is feeling with her wrist.
—
WTA Beijing R1 Predictions for Saturday
Day 1 – 8/9
Kerber d. Osaka in 3 sets – Like London buses… Kerber and Osaka had never played before the US Open and will now be playing each other for the third time in the last month. The pair are tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head with both players scoring a straight sets win. Osaka is on a four match losing streak since the US Open but has got closer to the win with each match since US. I thought Kerber was superb in Tokyo, but fell at the first hurdle in Wuhan where she came up against a peaking, Garcia. Not sure what to expect from Kerber – the serve is key.
Kvitova d. Kr. Pliskova in 2 sets – A first time meeting, Petra seems to enjoy Asia and I think the fast courts suit her game in Beijing. Kr. Pliskova hasn’t really got going since cutting her finger in Nanchang before the US.
Halep d. Riske in 2 sets – Despite Halep’s disappointing post US Open start in Wuhan, I think Riske should be a good match-up for her to get off to a winning start.
Sharapova d. Sevastova in 3 sets – Sevastova spun her web to wear down Sharapova at the US Open earlier this year. Sharapova should come in fresher compared to that last meeting and hungry for revenge so I think she could get the win here.
Mladenovic d. Duan in 3 sets – Mladenovic is currently riding an eight match losing streak. The Frenchwoman stated that her most recent performance against Siniakova in Wuhan was one of her better ones in recent weeks and that a knee injury picked up at Wimby has affected her. I’d guess that Duan is actually a decent match-up for Mladenovic since the Chinese player hasn’t beaten a top 100 player since the grass court season. I’d expect a struggle but I think Mladenovic might get a hard fought win here. Streaks have to end somewhere…
Gavrilova d. Kontaveit in 3 sets – I think confidence is low for both, especially Kontaveit who was lacking belief in her shots in her last match against Linette in Wuhan. I’d go for Gavrilova to scrap her way through.
Pavlyuchenkova d. Davis in 3 sets – Pavs should win in two…
Kasatkina d. Vikhlyantseva in 2 sets – Vikhlyantseva beat Kasatkina earlier this year, 7-6 6-2 indoors in St. Petersburg. This was during one of Kasatkina’s worst run of the year. A little concerned to hear she’s no longer with Platenik. I feel like Kasatkina should have the variety to unsettle Vik. and draw her into the net. The fast courts though will help Vik.
Cirstea d. Barthel in 2 sets – Seems a bit obvious based on form but Barthel is more than capable at her best of winning this. I’m not really sure what’s happened over the summer – perhaps burnout having played so much tennis during the first half of the year. Barthel has won just two of her last 12 matches. Cirstea’s recent results have been solid yet unspectacular.
—
Full Draw Predictions
R1
Muguruza
Goerges
Gavrilova
Vekic
Kvitova
Tsurenko
Pavlyuchenkova
Wozniacki
Svitolina
Barty
Vesnina
Mladenovic
Kerber
Cornet
Garcia
Cibulkova
Konta
Peng
Siniakova
Ostapenko
Stephens
Cirstea
Petkovic
Ka. Pliskova
Arruabarrena
Kasatkina
Zhang
Radwanska
Sharapova
Makarova
Rybarikova
Halep
R2
Goerges
Gavrilova
Kvitova
Wozniacki
Svitolina
Vesnina
Kerber
Garcia
Konta
Ostapenko
Stephens
Ka. Pliskova
Kasatkina
Zhang
Sharapova
Halep
R3
Goerges
Kvitova
Svitolina
Kerber
Konta
Ka. Pliskova
Zhang
Sharapova
QF
Kvitova
Svitolina
Ka. Pliskova
Sharapova
SF
Kvitova
Ka. Pliskova
F
Kvitova
Export taken from Tennis Draw Challenge predictions
Moo's Tennis Blog 