The Asian swing has often been a platform for the resurgence of renowned stars. The likes of Andy Murray and Caroline Wozniacki have used this stage to make strong comebacks and revive their falling seasons in the past. British star, Heather Watson will look to take inspiration from them as she looks for a resurgence amid a poor run of form. Once a top 50 player, Watson has dropped out of the top 150 of the WTA rankings. And now, the path isn’t smooth ahead for her.

Heather Watson will face the fifth seed, Marta Kostyuk, in the round of 16 match at the WTA Seoul. While Watson has struggled this year, the Ukrainian star has had a fairly consistent run. As a result, Watson will have to be at her best to dig deep in the tournament.

Heather Watson vs Marta Kostyuk: Preview

Watson has struggled big time this year, especially in the Grand Slams and WTA 1000 tournaments. She hasn’t won a match in those tournaments in 2024, exiting in the qualifying rounds itself. However, she found some respite in the lower-rung tournaments on the ITF circuit. The 32-year-old won a title back home in the ITF Great Britain 09A. Coming into the WTA Seoul as a qualifier, Watson has won all her matches in straight sets and will look to carry on the momentum against her Ukrainian opponent.

On the other hand, it has been a contrasting year for Kostyuk. At 22, she is enjoying one of the best seasons of her career. Earlier in the season, she reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, which remains her best performance at the Grand Slam level. Additionally, she also reached the finals of the San Diego Open and the Stuttgart Open. Given her form this year, Kostyuk looks like the favorite going into this contest.

Watson vs Kostyuk: Head-to-head

While Heather Watson has been playing at the top level for quite some time now, it is still early days for Kostyuk on the tour. Nonetheless, they have faced each other once before at the Brisbane International 2018 tournament in the qualifying rounds. The Ukrainian star emerged victorious in that encounter in a tough three-setter. However, things have changed a lot since and the two will start afresh when they take on each other in Seoul.

Prediction: Kostyuk to make light work of Watson

While Kostyuk holds the 18th spot in the WTA rankings, Heather Watson is down to 183rd. Although the two have had an equal number of losses this season, that is 16, Kostyuk has won 28 matches as opposed to Watson’s 18.

One important aspect of Kostyuk’s game has been her returns. The 22-year-old won as many as 50% of the return points during her first-round win over Arantxa Rus in Seoul. Given her statistical dominance, it looks like Kostyuk wiill have it easy against Watson and will win her match in straight sets. However, Watson will aim to prevent that and offer a fight as she aims to dig deep in the tournament. The round of 16 match will take place on the Center Court tomorrow.