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Fixture: (11) Veronika Kudermetova vs (22) Qinwen Zheng.
Date: May 16, 2023.
Tournament: Italian Open 2023.
Round: Quarterfinal.
Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor clay.
Prize money: €3,572,618.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Veronika Kudermetova vs Qinwen Zheng preview
World No. 12 Veronika Kudermetova will square off against Qinwen Zheng in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Italian Open on Tuesday.
Following wins over Nuria Parrizas Diaz and Anastasia Potapova, Kudermetova made it to the fourth round. She took on Marie Bouzkova for a spot in the last eight. The Russian started the match with a break of serve and consolidated her lead with a hold of serve to make it 2-0.
Kudermetova snagged another break in the seventh game to go 5-2 up, following which she served out the opener. She broke Bouzkova's serve twice in the second set to lead 4-0. The 26-year-old remained in front until the end of the match to win 6-2, 6-2.
Zheng defeated Alize Cornet and Anna Bondar to set up a fourth round clash against compatriot Wang Xiyu. A single break of serve in the first set sealed the deal in the 20-year-old's favor.
The two traded service breaks to start the second set, following which Wang started to dictate the proceedings more and more. She was rewarded for her efforts and managed to clinch the set to level the proceedings.
Wang was unable to maintain the momentum in the third set. Zheng dominated the final set as she dropped just one game in it to win the match 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 and reach her first quarterfinal of the clay swing.
Veronika Kudermetova vs Qinwen Zheng head-to-head
Zheng leads Kudermetova 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2022 Pan Pacific Open in three sets.
Veronika Kudermetova vs Qinwen Zheng odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Veronika Kudermetova vs Qinwen Zheng prediction
Kudermetova played a rather solid match to defeat Bouzkova. She smacked 30 winners compared to 20 unforced errors. She also won 85% of her first serve points and faced a lone break point throughout the match.
Zheng overcame a second set stumble to oust Wang in the previous round. Her serve deserted her completely, and a flurry of double faults, coupled with passive play, cost her the set. While she recovered nicely to win the match, she might not get a similar reprieve against the Russian in the next round.
Both players are comfortable on clay, though Kudermetova has more momentum as she made the semifinals in Madrid as well. She's a tough competitor, but she's prone to giving up healthy leads and letting the match slip away from her at times.
Zheng is a gifted shotmaker but ends up committing a ton of errors at times, putting her on the back foot. Kudermetova is a tricky prospect to overcome, but the Chinese youngster is likely to gain the upper hand eventually to defeat her.
Pick: Qinwen Zheng to win in three sets.
