Naomi Osaka is playing amazing tennis at the 2024 Italian Open in Rome, and she'll try herself next against the 2024 Australian Open runner-up Qinwen Zheng.
Zheng might not be the first player fans think of when it comes to clay tennis, but let's remember that she gave Iga Swiatek serious problems two years ago. She's not a pushover, as this year's Australian Open run proved.
Osaka, though, might be better on clay right now, at least if we look at her performances from this week in Rome. Her latest win over Daria Kasatkina was really impressive because she didn't really let her breathe in that match.
You don't beat the Russian that easily on clay unless you play really good tennis, and that's what Osaka did. It's quite fascinating to see her play that well, but it's why she's going to be favored in this matchup, and that's quite notable.
Osaka and Zheng have only played once so far, and Osaka was able to win that match. It was a tightly contested match in San Jose in 2022, and the Japanese player won in three sets.
I expect a close match here as well because that's just how Zheng plays. The Chinese player rarely gets crushed, and while Osaka is impressive, she can still struggle with consistency.
I find it tricky to believe that she will keep this level until somebody like Swiatek stops her. She has a quarter-final in Rome (2019), so doing well in the Italian capital isn't that unfamiliar to her.
| Naomi Osaka | Qinwen Zheng | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | H2H | 0 |
| 173 | Rank | 7 |
| 26 | Age | 21 |
| 12-8 | 2024 W/L | 15-8 |
| 277-156 | Career W/L | 190-84 |
I think Osaka will win this match because she is completely in the zone this year. The balls are flying close to the lines, and the Japanese player looks unbeatable at moments. Zheng could do it, but that's the less likely outcome.
Prediction: Naomi Osaka to win in three sets.