Naomi Osaka and Zhang Shuai will face each other in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters. The game will start on August 16 at 15:00 UK time.
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Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction One – Handicap (+5.5) for Shuai – 1.61.
Bookmaker Ratings: Prediction Two – Total Games Over 20 – 1.89.
The tennis players are very familiar with each other’s style of play, as their tournament paths have crossed five times. So far, the head-to-head score is 3-2 in favour of Osaka, but in their two previous matches, the rivals have exchanged victories. Moreover, Zhang Shuai won a set in the losing match.
Naomi couldn’t finish her match in Toronto because of back problems. It’s quite possible that she has not yet fully recovered for the Cincinnati Masters.
In their last head-to-head encounter, they played a three-set match. Given Osaka’s sub-optimal form, we expect today to be a long match as well.
The former world #1 had a good start to the season, reaching the semi-finals in Melbourne and the final in Miami. However, Osaka had a prolonged playing crisis as she won only two matches in her last four starts.
Last week, Naomi played in Toronto. In the first round of that competition, she played against Kaia Kanepi. Due to back pain, she had to withdraw from the match in the second set.
Naomi Osaka has lost 4 of her last 5 matches.
Zhang Shuai showed her best results of the season on fast surfaces. For example, he had a title in the Lyon Open and a final in Birmingham.
The transition to the hard courts could not be called a success. In San Jose, Zhang Shuai lost in the first round to Madison Keys (4-6, 2-6). In Toronto, she defeated Cristina Bucsa (6-1, 6-3) before losing to Simona Halep (4-6, 2-6).
Zhang Shuai has lost 7 of her last 10 matches to higher-ranked opponents.
In three of the five head-to-head encounters, less than 9.5 games have been played in the first set. We offer to bet on “1st Set Games – Under 9.5” with odds of 1.56.
Type of Court – Hard
Speed of Court – 6/10
Osaka’s Rating – 39
Naomi Osaka Wins/Losses in 2022 – 14/8
Shuai’s Rating – 45
Zhang Shuai Wins/Losses in 2022 – 24/21
Osaka leads with a score of 3-2 in their head-to-head encounters. The last time they played was in 2018 on the hard court at China Open. In that match, Osaka defeated Shuai with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.
The match will be played at Lindner Family Tennis Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States.
We recommend checking out the odds for the Cincinnati Masters: Osaka vs Shuai at 22bet and MelBet.