Preview: Qinwen Zheng vs. Donna Vekic – prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Qinwen Zheng And Donna Vekic renewed hostilities in the US Open fourth round on Sunday, four weeks after her fight for the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris.

The Chinese player defeated the Croatian player in straight sets to become the first Asian player to win gold in the singles at the Games. She will be aiming for another triumph over the Wimbledon semi-finalist to secure two consecutive quarter-final appearances in New York.

Game Preview

© Imago

Two years after the defeat against Jule Niemeier In Queens, Zheng took revenge relatively easily on Friday at the same venue with a 6-2, 6-1 triumph.

The 4-6, 6-7(5) loss to the German was painful for the 21-year-old, who has reached the quarterfinals of the US Open, advanced to a Grand Slam final and won Olympic gold since his third-round exit at Flushing Meadows in 2022.

The No. 7 seed's improved status and her performance on the hard court in Australia mean she has an outside chance at the final Grand Slam tournament of the year after recovering from her first-round exit at Wimbledon to reach another fourth-round match in Queens.

Statistically, Zheng has had her best results in New York – before this year's tournament, her win rate was 75% – and she can't wait to face a woman she defeated in early August and is looking to compete in a quarterfinal match again at this event.

After demonstrating her ability to rebound by responding to setbacks in rounds one and two, Zheng recorded her first consecutive win in the third round and will be hoping for a similar result on Sunday.

© Imago

The hard-hitting Vekic will do no favors in the rematch, hoping to knock out the woman who denied her a gold medal in Paris on August 3.

Although this year's entry into the fourth round is already considered a success for the world number 24 – after three consecutive eliminations at tournament openers in 2021, 2022 and 2023 – the 28-year-old hopes to reach the quarterfinals in the USA again after her appearance in 2019.

It would be a worthy end to the 2024 season at the world's most important tournaments. At Wimbledon, she reached her first Grand Slam semifinal and a few weeks later she shone at the Games in Paris, where she became the first woman from her country to win a medal at the Games.

Unlike her opponent, who needed three sets twice to get this far, Vekic has won the first three rounds without dropping a set and is looking to continue this run.

However, the fact that she is competing against a seeded opponent for the first time – and one from the top 10 at that – suggests that she will not be able to achieve another easy victory in the fourth round.

Tournament so far

Qinwen Zheng:

First round: Comparisons Amanda Anisimova 4-6 6-4 6-2
Second round: Comparisons Erika Andreeva 6-7[3] 6-1 6-2
Third round: vs. Jule Niemeier 6-2 6-1

Donna Vekic:

First round: Comparisons Kimberly Birrell 6-4 6-4
Second round: Comparisons Greetings Minnen 7-5 6-1
Third round: Comparisons Peyton Stearns 7-5 6-4

Direct comparison

Courmayeur (2021) – Round of 32: Vekic 7-6(1) 6-2

Zhuhai (2023) – Round 1: Zhang 6-4 6-7(6) 6-4

Olympic Games (2024) – Final: Chen 6-2 6-3

Both women are fighting against each other for the fourth time on the WTA Tour, with Zheng leading the head-to-head 2-1.

Although the Chinese player is ranked higher, Vekic's four career titles surpass the 21-year-old's three, even when accounting for the seven-year age difference.

Zheng has won one more title than Vekic in 2024 and has a better win-loss record than the Croatian – 25-13 compared to the 28-year-old's 22-16.

We say: Vekic wins in three sets

Having survived the last Grand Slam tournament of the year without facing a seeded opponent, Sunday's match is unlikely to be easy for either opponent.

Motivated by the defeat in Paris, we are betting that Vekic will narrowly beat Zheng in three close sets in New York and achieve his 16th victory over a top 10 player.

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