Abu Dhabi Open: Kasatkina vs Zheng Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Abu Dhabi Open as Daria Kasatkina takes on Qinwen Zheng in the quarterfinal on Friday, February 10, 2023.

Daria Kasatkina stopped the rot in her second-round match, but she faces an exciting and intriguing matchup against rising Chinese star Qinwen Zheng. Who will prevail and move into the semifinal of the Abu Dhabi Open?

The Middle East is a happy hunting ground for Daria Kasatkina. If she was looking to find her form, then this was it. Kasatkina who famously reached the 2018 Dubai final after saving match points against Garbine Muguruza, was finally able to stop the rot. The Russian’s camp feared the worst when she lost the first set against Jil Teichmann 6-1 in just 30 minutes. But a little pep talk with coach Carlos Martinez gave the top seed some inspiration and she went on a tear for the next two sets, completely obliterating Teichmann and the scoreboard, before prevailing 1-6 6-0 6-2 and reached her second quarterfinal of the season at the Abu Dhabi Open.

Qinwen Zheng, meanwhile, had already booked her place in the quarterfinal of the Abu Dhabi Open 24 hours earlier. The Chinese talent stunned Australian Open quarterfinalist Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets. Zheng saved three set points in the first set, winning it in a tiebreak. And Latvian checked out. She never recovered from that collapse and Zheng raced to the finish line, winning the second set 6-1.

Daria Kasatkina and Qinwen Zheng have not played each on the WTA Tour. Friday’s quarterfinal match at the Abu Dhabi Open will be their first official meeting. Kasatkina’s win over Teichmann was a match of two halves. First, it was the Swiss southpaw who dominated before Kasatkina rediscovered her mojo to take the match. But the Russian top seed won’t be getting second chances against a consistent and astute baseliner like Zheng. The Chinese star has tallied double-digit aces in each of her two matches this week. And her return game was top-notch, particularly against a big hitter like Ostapenko. In the kind of form she is in, it is a no-brainer to pick Zheng here.