Two experienced players, Petra Kvitova and Zhang Shuai lock horns in the round of 32 of the 2023 Qatar Open on Tuesday.
The two-time Wimbledon champion started the season with a bang as she defeated Jessica Pegula and Laura Siegemund in the United Cup. In the Adelaide International 2, Kvitova notched up a huge win against 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the first round. The Czech veteran was ousted by Daria Kasatkina in the quarterfinals.
Seeded at No. 15 in the Australian Open, Kvitova began with a win against Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round. Kvitova’s campaign ended in the following round as she went down to Anhelina Kalinskaya in straight sets.
The two-time Grand Slam champion in doubles has already played in 5 tournaments thus far in the season. She began with a loss in the first round of the Adelaide International 1 against Liudmila Samsonova. In the Adelaide International 2, Shuai lost to Ana Bogdan in the first round of qualifying. Shuai made it to the fourth round at the Australian Open where she lost to Karolina Pliskova.
After the Australian Open, Shuai lost to Maryna Zanevska in the round of 16 of the Lyon Open after defeating Madison Brengle in the first round. Before coming to Qatar, the Chinese star played in the Abu Dhabi Open. She lost to 7th seed Anett Kontaveit in the first round but went on to win the doubles event, partnering with Luisa Stefani.
Petra Kvitova and Zhang Shuai have faced each other on six occasions. The former has a 4-2 lead in the head-to-head scoreline as of now. Kvitova defeated Shuai in their most recent meeting in the fourth round of the 2020 French Open in straight sets.
Prediction: Petra Kvitova to win in three sets.
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