Hua Hin Open: Andreescu vs Tsurenko Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Hua Hin Open as Bianca Andreescu takes on Lesia Tsurenko in the semifinal on Saturday, February 4, 2023.

Bianca Andreescu is eyeing her first WTA final in seven months. But the Canadian star faces unseeded Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko who has turned back time to produce her best showing at Tour level for a while. Who will prevail and reach the Hua Hin final?

Bianca Andreescu looked well on her way to an emphatic win in her quarterfinal match against Marta Kostyuk. She led 6-0 5-1, and even after dropping one of her service games, she still had three match points at 5-4. But somehow, she was dragged into a dogfight by a tenacious Kostyuk who just began to swing freely towards the end. It was only a momentary blip, as Andreescu eventually won the set in a tiebreak and secured her semifinal berth.

Lesia Tsurenko, for her part, ended the win streak of Germany’s Tatjana Maria in a resounding fashion. The 33-year-old Ukranian eased past Maria 6-1 6-1, breaking her opponent six times, and landing 80% of her first serves. Maria’s unorthodox slice-and-dice game could not quite match up to Tsurenko’s accurate hitting at the corners.

Bianca Andreescu and Lesia Tsurenko have not played each other on the WTA Tour. However, they met at the Billie Jean King Cup back in 2018, when Andreescu was pretty much a rookie at the time and her fitness concerns were well documented. She retired in that match while trailing 0-4 in the third set. But how the roles have been reversed in Hua Hin. Tsurenko is the one who has endured a nightmare on the treatment table. The Ukrainian has been through a series of never-ending injuries which have immensely impacted her potential and ranking. She’s played some solid tennis this week, beating Anna Kalinskaya and an in-form Maria. But it looks like Andreescu has rediscovered her mojo and it is tough to comprehend an upset.