Two Chinese stars, Xinyu Wang and Lin Zhu will battle it out in the semifinals of the 2023 Thailand Open on Saturday.
The 7th seed began her campaign in Thailand with a comfortable win against Swiss qualifier Joanne Zuger. The one-sided encounter ended in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. In the round of 16, Wang continued from where she left against Zuger and decimated Mirjam Bjorklund of Sweden.
Wang had a tough encounter in the quarterfinals as British veteran Heather Watson gave her a good run for her money. After winning the first set relatively easily, Wang saw Watson fight back strongly to take the second set. The 21-year-old did not panic though and managed to cross the finishing line in the third set. The match ended 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4.
The Chinese veteran started with a great win against compatriot and third seed Xiyu Wang. Zhu lost the first set but bounced back superbly to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. In the round of 16, she got the better of Jang Su-Jeong of Taiwan in two competitive sets. The match ended 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).
The quarterfinals saw Lin Zhu taking on the Slovene No. 1 Tamara Zidansek. This match turned out to be a lopsided affair as the 29-year-old Lin Zhu eased past the world No. 56 in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Zhu converted 5 out of 6 break points in the match.
Lin Zhu has a 1-0 lead over Xinyu Wang in the head-to-head scoreline as of now. The solitary win for the experienced campaigner came in the first round of the 2019 US Open in straight sets.
Prediction: Xinyu Wang to win in three sets.
More Tennis news
Follow our dedicated Tennis page for instant Tennis news and updates