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Match Details
Fixture: (1) Paula Badosa vs Qinwen Zheng.
Date: September 21, 2022.
Tournament: Toray Pan Pacific Open 2022.
Round: Second round (Round of 16).
Venue: Tokyo, Japan.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Hard.
Prize money: $757,900.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Paula Badosa vs Qinwen Zheng preview
After receiving a first-round bye, top seed Paula Badosa will take on World No. 36 Qinwen Zheng in the second round of the 2022 Toray Pan Pacific Open.
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After a strong start to the season, Badosa's results over the last few months have been mostly disappointing. She clinched her third career title in Sydney in January and then made it to the fourth round of the Australian Open. Following an underwhelming Middle East hardcourt swing, the Spaniard arrived at Indian Wells to defend her title, which ended in the semifinals.
Badosa then reached the quarterfinals in Miami. She kicked off her claycourt swing by making the last eight in Charleston. She went a step further in Stuttgart, which helped her rise to World No. 2 in the rankings. She was unable to maintain this form, and concluded her claycourt campaign with a third-round exit from the French Open.
Badosa made it to the fourth round of Wimbledon for the second year in a row. After her semifinal run at the Silicon Valley Classic, the 24-year old was expected to do well in the lead-up to the US Open. However, she had to retire from her first-round contest in Canada and lost in the opening round at Cincinnati.
Badosa got past Lesia Tsurenko in three sets in the first round of the US Open, but lost to Petra Martic in the next round. She'll be eager to do well in Tokyo to secure a spot in the 2022 WTA Finals.
Qinwen Zheng has made considerable progress this year, with a string of good results propelling her to a career-high ranking of No. 36. The teenager was up against home favorite Misaki Doi in the first round.
Zheng jumped to a 4-0 lead in the opening set, but was made to work for it. Doi got on board with a hold of serve after that and even held a break point later on, but failed to capitalize on it. The Chinese youngster soon served out the set 6-2 to put herself in the lead to cross the finish line.
Zheng started the second set by racing to a 4-0 lead once again. She eventually led by 5-1, but Doi won three games in a row as she put up some resistance. The 19-year old put an end to her opponent's fightback by serving out the match on her second attempt to win 6-2, 6-4.
Paula Badosa vs Qinwen Zheng head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the two, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Paula Badosa vs Qinwen Zheng odds
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Paula Badosa vs Qinwen Zheng prediction
Badosa's ranking and accomplishments make her the favorite to win this clash, but she has struggled to string together some wins recently. Zheng is certainly not a player she would've liked to face early on. The teenager has scored wins over the likes of Sloane Stephens and Jelena Ostapenko this year. She was also the only player to win a set against Iga Swiatek during her run to the French Open title.
Zheng played a solid match against Doi in the first round. While she did face some trouble closing out the match, she recovered in the nick of time to win. She hit some blistering winners with her groundstrokes, though her forehand was a bit inconsistent.
Badosa can match Zheng from the baseline and she's capable of playing some brilliant tennis when her back is up against the wall. But the Spaniard will need to be the aggressor here, as letting the 19-year old dictate the match could prove to be her undoing.
The match could swing either way. If Badosa's back to her best, she could show the talented youngster the door, but otherwise it is Zheng's match to lose.
Pick: Qinwen Zheng to win in three sets.
