2014 Tianjin - Quarterfinals

Again, I've been terrible with my blogging this year, and the Asian swing is almost over! As I am typing, we're already halfway through one of the all-American matches, with Alison Riske leading Varvara Lepchenko by 1 set. Hopefully I'll also be able to get some predictions out for both the Osaka and Linz semifinals! So here are my predictions for today:

[4] Varvara Lepchenko vs. [6] Alison Riske

This isn't so much of a preview now, since the match has already started, but Riske has been playing some good tennis this week and looks as if she'll win the match. From their H2H, Lepchenko leads 2-0 but Riske has come out and played some fantastic tennis, with some fantastic winners, and really forcing Lepchenko behind the baseline by controlling their rallies.

Prediction: Riske wins 2-0

Zheng Saisai vs. Sorana Cirstea

Zheng really has been on a roll this week, taking out both Babos and Jankovic in her first two matches to reach her second WTA quarterfinal. I think that a combination of this, along with her playing a tournament in her home city means that this is a really good opportunity for her to make her first ever semifinal. Currently, the H2H sits in favour of Cirstea, having played at Stanford 2 years ago, but I think that now, Zheng is a much smarter and more consistent player and will really be able to use her good mix of shots to try and throw Cirstea off. Still, Zheng can be quite an inconsistent player, especially on the backhand side, and Cirstea will pose a great challenge for her to overcome.

Prediction: Zheng wins 2-1.

Hsieh Su-Wei vs. [3] Belinda Bencic

I honestly am not that much of a Bencic fan, but she has definitely proven this year that she has the ability and skill to be a top player. She has made it to the quarterfinals due to a walkover, with Oprandi withdrawing from a viral infection and she may be lacking slightly in match practice, having a relatively simple win over Zhu in the first round. Hsieh, on the other hand has improved quite a lot on her current form and should be ready to capitalise if Bencic drops her form today. I don't think Bencic has ever played someone as crafty as Hsieh, having never played Radwanska either, which should prove tricky for her for a set or so, but she should be able to settle in afterwards and win quite comfortably.

Prediction: Bencic wins 2-0

[8] Ajla Tomjlanovic vs. [2] Peng Shuai

Peng Shuai has not played well at all since the announcement of Li's retirement a few weeks ago, and this has shown in her first two matches against Pe'er and Kulichkova. Luckily, she managed to get through her first two matches and will now face Tomjlanovic for a place in the semis of her hometown tournament. Tomjlanovic has not played well as well this year, winning only one main draw match since her run to the 4th round at the French Open. Tomjlanovic's inconsistency, coupled with Peng's nervy tennis could make for a reasonably bad matchup, but if Peng can regain the form she found at the US Open, she might be able to see this off in 2 sets. All in all though, I don't think Peng really is going to find this form until later on in this tournament (if she makes it there).

Prediction: Peng wins 2-1

And as always, please share this blog with others if you enjoy it and comment below if you agree or disagree with my predictions!