Well, isn't this just as exciting as watching paint dry? We have a real nail-biter on our card with Iga Swiatek taking on her familiar opponent Qinwen Zheng. Now, if we peer through the annals of history like some scholarly sports enthusiast, we'd see that Swiatek has displayed an uncanny habit of usurping Zheng in their prior encounters. Whether it's taking her in straight sets or unexpectedly needing the extra set, the result has always leaned in favor of Swiatek.
Zheng, on the other hand, despite being the lesser seeded player, has been delivering some really good tennis of late, dropping only a single set each in her wins over Kerber and Navarro. I'll give her the due credit that this success is as surprising as finding out your 90-year-old grandma uses Tik Tok. It certainly puts an interesting spin on the match-up.
Meanwhile, Swiatek, our top seed, has had a bit of a hiccup in her recent games. She ran into a bit of a Collins-induced speed bump, tying at best. If consistency is as comforting as they say, I'm getting more comfort from my wooden chair right now. But before we start playing a funeral march for Swiatek, let's not forget she's shown her class against Wang Xiyu, Parry D, and Begu I.
The tension is definitely higher than me on caffeine right now. Still, I've seen chopsticks used as drumsticks, and considering the history, their current form and the pressure of the tournament, I'm veering towards a prediction that favors the persistent Swiatek over the rising Zheng.
Albert’s Prediction: Swiatek in 3 sets.