Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the WTA Roland Garros match.
Aryna Sabalenka is on a mission to win her first ever Roland-Garros title. A semi-finalist in Paris last year, the world No.1 is powering through the draw this time around and has lost only twice on clay all season. For Qinwen Zheng, this is her maiden quarter-final appearance at Roland-Garros – and she’s already made headlines by defeating Sabalenka in Rome just two weeks ago. Expect the Belarusian to be highly motivated for revenge.
Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka has been ruthless on clay in 2025, winning 15 of 17 matches and dropping sets only to Jelena Ostapenko and Zheng. In Paris, she’s yet to concede a set and is averaging five aces per match. Her aggressive style and consistency behind the first serve have seen her dominate in straight sets throughout the tournament. Crucially, she leads their head-to-head 6-1, dropping only three sets in seven matches against Zheng.
Qinwen Zheng
The Chinese No.1 and current world No.7 has found strong form this season, winning 10 of 13 matches on clay. However, her record against top-10 opposition remains underwhelming – just one win in her last five, though that one was indeed over Sabalenka. At Roland-Garros, Zheng has mostly faced players outside the top 50 (Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Emiliana Arango, Victoria Mboko), and her first real test came in the fourth round against Liudmila Samsonova (No.18), where she dropped a set, hit eight double faults, and landed only 55% of her first serves.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Qinwen Zheng Prediction
While Zheng is enjoying a breakthrough run, Sabalenka appears superior in all facets – power, experience, and mental toughness. With a clear edge in their rivalry and extra motivation following her Rome defeat, the world No.1 looks poised to impose her game once again.
