Madrid Open 2023: Alexandrova vs. Zheng Tennis Prediction & Pick

TennisSection previews the 2023 Madrid Open third-round match featuring Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. Qinwen Zheng on Sunday, April 30, 2023.

Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. Qinwen Zheng Preview

16th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova will face her toughest test yet when she takes on China’s rising star Qinwen Zheng. Who will prevail and reach the fourth round of the Madrid Open?

Ekaterina Alexandrova opened up her Madrid Open campaign with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Alize Cornet. It was a tight two-sets match, with both players accounting for six double faults apiece, but it was Alexandrova who shaded the return numbers, breaking Cornet twice to come away with the victory, snapping her two-match losing run in the process.

Qinwen Zheng, meanwhile, registered her first-ever win at the Madrid Open, beating Caty McNally 6-4, 7-6. Zheng served seven aces, and tallied at least 60% of points won behind both first and second serves. She also converted four of her eight break points.

Ekaterina Alexandrova vs. Qinwen Zheng Prediction and Pick

Ekaterina Alexandrova leads Qinwen Zheng 1-0 in their head-to-head, winning that match from a set down in Charleston last year (Zheng retired in the third set). Night conditions inside the Arantxa Sanchez could Alexandrova the upper hand in enjoying baseline rallies with her limitless power. She is also one of the WTA’s most consistent servers. But Zheng is more than capable of matching Alexandrova’s weight of shot and is the steadier baseliner. Expect this to go the full distance with Zheng getting her revenge from Charleston.