Power Hitters Collide As In-Form Zheng Goes Up Against Favorite Rybakina in the Berlin Opener.
Fifth seed Qinwen Zheng is set to open her Berlin Open campaign with a thrilling match against unseeded Elena Rybakina in the first round. The winner will face Katerina Siniakova next, after the Czech cruised past Viktoriya Tomova in her opener.
Both Zheng and Rybakina arrive in solid form. While Zheng is still chasing her first title of the season, the Chinese star has been a consistent presence in the latter stages of tournaments. Rybakina, on the other hand, appears to be peaking at just the right time, claiming the title in Strasbourg and following it up with a deep run in London.
Zheng had a slow start to 2025, with early exits in Melbourne, Doha, and Dubai, but soon found her footing with quarterfinal runs in Indian Wells, Miami, and Charleston, followed by a semifinal in Rome. She then delivered her best-ever performance at Roland Garros, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to Aryna Sabalenka.
Most recently, she made the semifinals in London, losing to Amanda Anisimova in three sets. Stat-wise, Zheng has hit 144 aces in 29 matches, won 70% of first-serve points, 44.9% of return points, and converted 47.6% of break points.
Rybakina started strong with semifinal runs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and a quarterfinal in Doha. A mid-season dip followed, but she bounced back with a title in Strasbourg, defeating Liudmila Samsonova in three sets.
She also made a quarterfinal in London after a fourth-round exit at Roland Garros. She’s tallied 210 aces this season, winning 72.9% of first-serve points and 36.5% of first-return points, and converting 40.5% of break points.
Elena Rybakina leads Qinwen Zheng 2-1 in their head-to-head, but the rivalry has evolved with each meeting. Their first encounter came at Wimbledon 2022, where Rybakina prevailed in straight sets. A year later in Beijing, the Kazakh once again had the upper hand, sealing another routine win.
But Zheng struck back in 2024. At the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia, the Chinese Olympian flipped the script with a determined three-set victory and her first over Rybakina. Now, as they gear up for their fourth showdown, the question looms: can Zheng level the rivalry, or will Rybakina tighten her grip once more?
| Year | Event | Round | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | WTA Finals | Round 1 | Qinwen Zheng | 7–6, 3–6, 6–1 |
| 2023 | Beijing | Round of 64 | Elena Rybakina | 6–1, 6–2 |
| 2022 | Wimbledon | Round of 32 | Elena Rybakina | 7–6, 7–5 |
| Qinwen Zheng | Category | Elena Rybakina |
| 4 | Current Ranking | 11 |
| 244-104 | Career W-L | 358-154 |
| 19-10 | YTD W-L | 27-11 |
| 5 | Career Titles | 9 |
| 0 | Grand Slams | 1 |
| 0 | YTD Titles | 1 |
With both players coming in hot, this promises to be a tight contest. Zheng has been consistent and steadily improving, but Rybakina’s experience and recent title run could give her the edge in key moments. Expect a battle, but the Kazakh might just pull through.
Prediction: Elena Rybakina in straight sets
The odds favor Elena Rybakina at 13/25, reflecting her stronger serve stats and recent title in Strasbourg. While Zheng, priced at 31/20, is a live underdog with momentum.
Here are the betting odds according to BetMGM:
Qinwen Zheng: 31/20
Elena Rybakina: 13/25
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