“Today was a tough one. I had some opportunities and chances in the first set. I had a lot of break points but didn’t convert them,” Elena Rybakina said after losing her first match at the WTA Finals to Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. The 25-year-old Kazakhstani will next face China’s Qinwen Zheng on Monday (November 4). Can she convert all her chances and get back to her winning track at the WTA Finals?

Elena Rybakina vs. Qinwen Zheng: Preview

Despite having some injury concerns and health issues, Elena Ryabkina has had a decent season this year. She started her season with a title triumph at the Brisbane International. After that, she won the title at the Abu Dhabi Open, and her third title came at the Stuttgart Open. Elena Rybakina recently hired Novak Djokovic’s former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, as her new coach. However, their partnership didn’t start well enough, as the Kazakhstani lost her first match at the WTA Finals to Paolini by 6(5)-7,4-6.

Qinwen Zheng also started her season with a bang by reaching the final of the 2024 AO. She lost that match to Aryna Sabalenka, but she created history by winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics later this year. Apart from that, Zheng also won titles at the Palermo Ladies Open and the Japan Open. She started her campaign at the WTA Finals with a defeat against the current world number one, Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian defeated her by 3-6,4-6 in the first match! What will be the scoreline in the next match?

Rybakina vs Zheng: Head-to-Head

Elena Rybakina has faced the Chinese superstar Qinwen Zheng twice in her career so far. Currently, she leads the H2H scoreline by a 2-0 margin.

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• 2023 Beijing R64: Rybakina 6-1,6-2.
• 2022 Wimbledon R32: Rybakina 7-6(4), 7-5.

Prediction: Rybakina to win in three sets

Both these tennis stars have played some outstanding tennis this season. So, picking one in between these is always difficult! However, considering their H2H record and Elena Rybakina’s supremacy in their current rankings, we’re keeping the Kazakhstani ahead in this contest. Rybakina is currently ranked 5th in the world, and he has a win-loss record of 41-11. On the other hand, Qinwen Zheng (7) has a win-loss record of 47-16.

This match has all the ingredients to be a blockbuster contest! Surely this one is going to go deep. If we take a look at their playing styles, Qinwen Zheng is more of an aggressive baseliner. She has a powerful serve and an equally strong forehand shot in her armory. Apart from that, Zheng also loves to hit the ball a bit early, and she likes to take control of the match from the baseline. Can she take control of the match against the former world number 3? Time will tell! Qinwen Zheng can also generate heavy topspins from both wings.

Now, talking about her mighty opponent, Elena Rybkina is also an aggressive baseliner. Even the Kazakhstani star has a powerful seeing ability. She can generate effortless power in both her groundstrokes and serves. Rybakina aims to finish points quickly, and her high-risk game often leads to an accumulation of both winners and a lot of unforced errors. She also has good movement given her height! Overall, looking at all these things, we feel Rybakina may have a slight edge on this surface against her Chinese opponent in this crucial match.