Qinwen Zheng vs Amanda Anisimova Prediction: Tough match but not for Zheng

This first-round encounter at the 2024 US Open could very well turn out to be one of the most interesting clashes in style between Qinwen Zheng and Amanda Anisimova. Both have the ability, but the two have had contrasting seasons coming into this match.

Qinwen Zheng enters the competition ranked higher, currently inside the WTA top 10. She also enjoyed a tremendously good season in 2024 as she took home the title at the Paris Olympics, continuously going deep into several events. Her dominant groundstrokes, particularly that scintillating forehand, and an incredibly improved mental toughness make her a formidable force on hard courts. On top of that, her quarterfinal showing in the 2023 US Open adds more juice to her confidence coming into this year's tournament.

She will likely dominate with Qinwen Zheng's aggressive baseline game and look to dictate play with her forehand. Her serve has become a weapon often getting her the cheap points, going on to win, and taking control of rallies. Anisimova will look to start applying pressure from the very first shot and make her play in defensive mode.

On the other side, Amanda Anisimova has been on a wild ride this year with regard to injuries and inconsistency. Currently No. 49 in world ranking, she still shows potentially high-level quality in her tennis but in flashes. She parlayed that into a quarterfinal run at the Charleston Open earlier in the season before results tailed off since then.

To stand any chance against her, Amanda Anisimova will have to play aggressively, taking control of rallies from the beginning, with a powerful backhand and shot-making ability. Providing she can maintain this level of consistency—and thereby avoid allowing Zheng to dictate matters—Anisimova may well capitalize on her groundstrokes and outmaneuver her opponent. But on the other side, it is tough to sustain this sort of level over a best-of-three format after recent struggles with form.

With the form and confidence Zheng possesses in the last two months, she will be the overwhelming favorite going into this match. Anisimova will need to play near-perfect tennis herself and hope for a really bad day on Zheng's part to pull off the upset. But given Zheng's consistency and power, she most probably will cruise into the next round, possibly in straight sets.

This is going to be an interesting early test for the both of them, especially with the way Zheng has looked early on in her trajectory.

• Qinwen Zheng Win at 1.66 Odds
• Qinwen Zheng (-2.5) Games Handicap at 1.85 Odds
• Total 2 Sets at 1.66 Odds