Abu Dhabi Open 2023, Day 6: Women's singles predictions ft. Belinda Bencic vs Beatriz Haddad Maia, Liudmila Samsonova vs Zheng Qinwen

Day 6 of the Abu Dhabi Open will see the women's singles semi-finals take place. Second seed Belinda Bencic is the highest-ranked player left in the WTA 500 event, following her 7-6(5), 6-2 win over Shelby Rogers. The Swiss will look to get a step closer to her second title of 2023 as she takes on sixth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Eighth seed Liudmila Samsonova reached the top four after defeating Veronika Kudermetova in the quarter-finals. The 24-year-old will next be up against Zheng Qinwen for a place in the final.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at the predictions for the women's singles semi-finals at the Abu Dhabi Open.

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#1. Belinda Bencic vs Beatriz Haddad Maia

Second-seed Belinda Bencic will face sixth-seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the semi-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open. It will be the very first meeting between the two.

Bencic has been in pretty good form so far this season and is currently the highest-ranked player remaining in Abu Dhabi. The 25-year-old booked her place in the semi-finals of the WTA 500 tournament with a 7-6(5), 6-2 win over Shelby Rogers. She is yet to lose a set at the Abu Dhabi Open and will look to continue her good run of form.

Haddad Maia, on the other hand, has not had it easy in the tournament and each of her wins have come in three sets. The Brazilian booked her place in the quarterfinals after edging out Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-7(5), 7-6(4). Here, she came back from a set down to beat third seed Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and reach the semi-finals.

Haddad Maia has been quite gritty in Abu Dhabi and will give Bencic a run for her money. However, it's difficult to see the Swiss losing given how she has fared in 2023.

Predicted Winner: Belinda Bencic.

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#2. Liudmila Samsonova vs Zheng Qinwen

Eighth seed Liudmila Samsonova will take on Zheng Qinwen in the semi-finals of the Abu Dhabi Open. It will be the third meeting between the two, with the head-to-head currently tied at 1-1.

Samsonova started the WTA 500 tournament with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 win over Claire Liu, but followed it up with some convincing performances. The 24-year-old beat Barbora Krejcikova 7-5, 7-6(6) before defeating compatriot Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-3 to seal her place in the top four.

Zheng Qinwen, meanwhile, has looked formidable so far in Abu Dhabi and is yet to drop a set. The Chinese reached the quarter-finals with wins over Rebecca Marino and Jelena Ostapenko. She then thrashed top seed Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-2 to seal her place in the semi-finals.

Both players look in good touch at the moment and the match promises to be an exciting one. Zheng might be the lower-ranked player but she should manage to get the better of Samsonova and reach the final.

Predicted Winner: Zheng Qinwen