Former British No. 1 Heather Watson takes on South Korea’s Na-lae Han in the round of 16 of the 2023 Thailand Open on Thursday.
Heather Watson
The experienced campaigner began her season strongly with a run to the quarterfinals of an ITF event in Australia last month. She defeated top seed Kateryna Baindl and Yuriko Miyazaki before losing to compatriot Katie Boulter. Watson’s Australian Open campaign ended in the first round of qualifying as she lost to Aliona Bolsova.
In the round of 32 of the Thailand Open, the 30-year-old has got off to a fine start. She managed to get the better of 2nd seed Yulia Putintseva after going down in the first set. Watson eventually won the match 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). This stunning win should give Watson a lot of confidence going forward in the tournament.
Na-lae Han
The 30-year-old lost in the round of 32 of the ITF event in Australia in January to Katie Boulter. She defeated Viktoria Kuzmova in the first round of qualifying but went down to Anastasia Tikhonova in the second round.
At the Thailand Open, Han managed to hold her nerves to beat Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse. The latter played some great tennis and was helped 6 double faults from Han. However, the grit and determination of the South Korean star was enough to give her the win.
Head-to-Head and Prediction
Heather Watson and Na-lae Han have never crossed paths as yet. Therefore, the head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0.
Prediction: Heather Watson to win in three sets.
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