The experienced Zhang Shuai squares off against America’s Katie Volynets in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open on Saturday.
Zhang Shuai
The 23rd seed has had a fine campaign so far. She began with a win in three sets against Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig. Shuai played well in the first and third sets and the blip in the second set did not dent her confidence.
In the second round, Shuai got the better of the 32-year-old Petra Martic in a one-sided affair. The match ended 6-3, 6-3 in favor of the Chinese star. Shuai had a win percentage of 82 on the first serve and converted three out of the four break points. The top-seeded Chinese player had just 12 unforced errors compared to 31 for Martic.
Katie Volynets
The American qualifier has had a splendid run so far in the competition. She made it to the main draw with wins against Ekaterine Gorgodze, Nigina Abduraimova, and Kristina Mladenovic.
Volynets began the first round with a dominating performance against Evgeniya Rodina. The former won the match in straight sets 6-3, 6-2. In the second round, Volynets faced 9th seed Veronika Kudermetova. This was the 21-year-old’s first top-10 encounter. She managed to pull off a monumental upset as she edged past Kudermetova 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. This is already Volynets’ best result at a major.
Head-to-Head and Prediction
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0 as the two players will be meeting each other for the first time at the Australian Open.
Prediction: Zhang Shuai to win in straight sets.
More Tennis news
- Borna Coric 2022 – Net Worth, Salary, Records, and Endorsements
- Novak Djokovic’s brother makes Roger Federer promise ahead of Serbian Open
- Naomi Osaka responds to botching Jennifer Brady’s name after AO Open final win
Follow our dedicated Tennis page for instant Tennis news and updates
