ROME, ITALY - MAY 09: Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia returns a backhand against Daria Kasatkina of Russia during their singles first round match in the Internazionali BNL D'Italia at Foro Italico on May 09, 2022 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Two unseeded players, Tamara Zidansek and Lin Zhu lock horns in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Thailand Open on Friday.
The Slovenian star came into the Thailand Open on the back of 3 losses and 0 wins in the main draws of the three tournaments she competed in this season.
The 25-year-old has bounced back strongly here. In the first round, she made light work of Astra Sharma. Zidansek won the match in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, converting 5 out of 8 break points. In the round of 16, Zidansek faced the talented Linda Fruhvirtova. The No. 1 Slovene player won the first set but the 8th seed fought back to win the second set. In the decisive third set, Zidansek managed to hold her nerves and eventually won the match 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
The world No. 54 has reached the quarterfinals for the second time in 2023. At the ASB Classic, she made it to the quarterfinals. There’s also a first-time run to the fourth round of the Australian Open in between.
Zhu began with a hard-fought win against compatriot Xiyu Wang. The 3rd-seeded Wang managed to take the first set. However, Zhu came back strongly and outplayed her in the next two sets to win the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. In the round of 16, the 29-year-old Zhu managed to defeat Jang Su-jeong in two competitive sets 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).
The two players have never crossed paths before. Therefore, the head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0.
Prediction: Lin Zhu to win in three sets.
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