Two players who have done very well in recent weeks are coming up against each other in the first round in Hong Kong. No. 2 seed here and Tokyo semifinalist takes on the unique Osaka semifinalist Aoi Ito. Who do you think will come out on top?
WTA Hong Kong Day 2 Predictions
Varvara Gracheva vs Tatiana Prozorova
Head-to-head: First meeting
Varvara Gracheva made the semifinals in the WTA 125 event in Hong Kong about a month ago and she’ll be very familiar with the conditions. She also did alright in Tokyo last week, losing a very competitive match to Leylah Fernandez in the second round. While it’s true that Tatiana Prozorova is carrying plenty of momentum from the Asian Swing herself (crushed an ITF draw in Incheon in September), Gracheva’s weight of shot should be enough for her to be on the front foot in this matchup.
Prediction: Gracheva in 3
Su Jeong Jang vs Anastasia Zakharova
Head-to-head: Zakharova 1-0
Anastasia Zakharova is coming into this event on a 10-match win streak in ITF events (won titles in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin and Les Franqueses del Valles). These draws were stacked too, she was defeating players like Dalma Galfi or Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. That means she won’t be facing a drastic step up in quality here against Su Jeong Jang, if any at all. The 22-year-old had a fantastic season and capping it off with a big main tour run seems possible.
Prediction: Zakharova in 2
Sofia Kenin vs Mei Yamaguchi
Head-to-head: First meeting
We know Sofia Kenin can be a very streaky player, so maybe that Tokyo final from last week can turn her career around? The American was just 10-24 for the season going into that event, despite playing extremely well on occasion and simply falling into huge losing streaks. Her game is still there, but for some reason she can’t seem to access it all the time. She can lose to practically anybody as this year clearly showed, but against Mei Yamaguchi you kind of have to trust that Kenin will maintain at least some of that Tokyo momentum.
Prediction: Kenin in 2
Katie Boulter vs Aoi Ito
Head-to-head: First meeting
Osaka was a fantastic showcase for Aoi Ito’s game and she can definitely mess up a few much higher-ranked players with how unique her gameplan is. But it’s undeniable that Katie Boulter is a really tough draw, especially coming off a semifinal run in Tokyo. The Brit isn’t the most consistent and can sometimes struggle when she’s getting a relatively unpleasant ball from the other side of the net. It would still take a massive effort from Ito to take her down and she won’t have that home crowd support going for her this time.
Prediction: Boulter in 3
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
