'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Aryna Sabalenka vs (7) Zheng Qinwen
Date: November 2, 2024
Tournament: WTA Finals 2024
Round: Group Stage
Venue: King Saud University Indoor Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Category: Year-end championships
Surface: Hard (Indoor)
Prize Money: $15.25 million
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Aryna Sabalenka vs Zheng Qinwen preview
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka will square off against World No. 7 Zheng Qinwen in the first match of the group stage at the WTA Finals 2024.
Trending
Sabalenka started the season with a runner-up finish in Brisbane before defending her Australian Open title with a win over Zheng in the final. This was followed by a brief slump over the next two months. She returned to form with back-to-back finals in Madrid and Rome, losing to Iga Swiatek on both occasions.
An illness played its part during Sabalenka's quarterfinal exit from the French Open. Her woes continued after that as an injury forced her to skip Wimbledon. She made her comeback at the Citi Open and advanced to the semifinals. A quarterfinal finish at the Canadian Open was followed by a title-winning run at the Cincinnati Open.
Sabalenka's winning streak continued at the US Open, where she pipped Jessica Pegula to claim her second Major title this year. Her unbeaten run came to an end in the quarterfinals of the China Open. She bounced back with her third straight title at the Wuhan Open, with another win over Zheng in the final.
Zheng reached her maiden Major final Down Under and lost to Sabalenka. The next few months were tough for her as she failed to match the same highs from the start of the season. Her title defense in Palermo proved to be a turning point, and she immediately won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics after that.
Zheng then reached the quarterfinals of the US Open, the semifinals of the China Open, and the final of the Wuhan Open. She participated in the Toray Pan Pacific Open last week and nabbed her third title of the season.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Zheng Qinwen head-to-head
Sabaelenka leads Zheng 4-0 in the head-to-head. She won their most recent encounter at the Wuhan Open 2024 in three sets.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Zheng Qinwen odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Aryna Sabalenka vs Zheng Qinwen prediction
This will be Sabalenka's fourth consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals, with a runner-up finish in 2022 being her best result. Zheng, meanwhile, will be making her debut at the year-end championships. Both have been the tour's most in-form players over the last three months.
Sabalenka has a 54-12 record this year and has a 38-7 record on hardcourts. She also has a 9-4 record against her fellow top 10 cohorts and has won her last six matches against them. She has amassed a 22-2 record since the start of August.
Zheng has compiled a 47-16 record for the season, with a 29-10 record on hardcourts. She has a 3-6 record against top 10 players this year, with half of those losses coming against Sabalenka. She has put together a 28-5 record since the start of July.
Zheng lost her first two matches against the Belarusian in straight sets and pushed her to three sets in the Wuhan final but came up short in the end. This match could also go down to the wire, with Sabalenka sneaking past her younger rival again.
Pick: Aryna Sabalenka to win in three sets.
