PBL 2018: 3 epic clashes to look forward to in the Mumbai leg

#3 Carolina Marin (Pune 7 Aces) vs Beiwen Zhang (Awadhe Warriors)

Interestingly, Beiwen Zhang is one those players who has traditionally been a cause of concern for the reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin. One look at their head-to-head record will corroborate this.

The two are tied 2-2 in their head-to-head matches. The American won their first couple of meetings in 2013 and since then the Spaniard won the next two, the latest of which was this year.

That should slightly tilt the balance in favour of the former World No. 1. Especially after the way Marin played in the second half of the season, winning the World Championships, the Japan Open and the China Open, she will indeed be having an edge in this encounter.

Having said that, it needs to be acknowledged that Zhang too had her best-ever season on the Tour and is now perched at No. 10. Her big title win at the India Open, beating PV Sindhu in the final from being match point down, shows how much determination and belief she has now.

Underestimating her would thus be foolish and anything less than her imperious best could land Marin in trouble when the two cross swords on the final day of the Mumbai leg.

Edited by Sripad