Yafan Wang vs Yue Yuan Prediction, Preview, H2H, Stats, Form, March 1st

Our next preview for Friday once again comes from the ATX Open in Texas, where the WTA 250 rolls on.

We have a big opportunity here for two women who have pretty strong games and who haven’t had the chance to play many tour-level semifinals in recent times. Win this match and they’ll get that chance.

Let’s delve into Yafan Wang vs Yue Yuan. Wang is slightly favoured to win at 1.80 odds while Yuan is priced at 2.00. The handicap is 1.5 games and the total games line is 21.5.

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Our Wang vs Yuan prediction is for Wang to win.

In this article:

• Yafan Wang vs Yue Yuan Prediction
• Yafan Wang Recent Form
• Yue Yuan Recent Form
• Yafan Wang vs Yue Yuan H2H Stat of the Match
• Safer Gambling

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Yafan Wang vs Yue Yuan Prediction: Steadier Wang to Be Rewarded

• Prediction: Wang to win
• Best Odds: 1.82
• Bookmaker: Pinnacle
• Stakes: 3/10

Odds as at am UK Time on March 1st, 2024. Odds may now differ.

This one presents a nice stylistic contrast to break down, with the taller Yuan possessing more behind her serve and forehand, but also being a tad too erratic and lacking any real kind of gameplan other than to hit through her opponents far too often.

On the other side of the net is the in-form Wang who is much more solid and works all areas of the court beautifully, but does lack in the power department.

For me, I think backing Wang here is the right move. If Yuan had even one or two more dimensions to her game, I think having this one as a very close match would be the right call. As it stands, I’ll take the strong defender, better mover and less error-prone player who also constructs points well and is well-positioned to wait out errors from an opponent who does tend to overhit on occasion.

Read on for more expert insights.

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Yafan Wang Recent Form

Now almost 30 years old, the one-time top-50 player appeared as though her career may have been nearing an end as Wang struggled mightily to win matches post-pandemic.

That all changed last year when Wang managed to go on a tear down on the ITF Tour, racking up win after win on hard and sometimes grass courts.

That has allowed her to move back up to tour level and she’s now under 20 ranking spots from setting a new career high.

I really enjoy her matches. From a betting standpoint, she’s also a fun player to back. She lacks the raw, natural power of many, but make no mistake, she can still hit her forehand with pace and because she’s so good at hitting smaller targets, the combination of decent pace and pinpoint accuracy allows her to play an offensive style in a way.

Throw in intelligent patterns in terms of shot sequencing from the baseline, counterpunching abilities and rock-solid consistency and you have a very well-rounded player to back.

Yue Yuan Recent Form

Yuan is a bit more hit-or-miss than her countrywoman, and I think the price in the market is a little off as a result.

Does she have more potential when playing her best? Sure. The question is does she reach that level enough to make her the shortest of underdogs in this match? More importantly, if she does reach that level, can she sustain it for lengthy rallies and a few hours to continually hit through Wang without making too many mistakes herself?

That’s where I think she’s going to struggle more times than not against this player profile.

The first serve, flat forehand and pop on that wing are likely to be the most impressive shots on the court in patches. How long those patches last could very well determine the result of this contest.

Yafan Wang vs Yue Yuan H2H – Stat of the Match

No relevant head-to-head in this one. Wang won the lone meeting, but that was seven years ago and ended via retirement. Hard to find a less meaningful matchup to break down.

I’m not sold any stats are all that indicative of how this match plays out. With contrasting styles like this, it really does feel like whoever imposes their style on the match comes through. From there, we simply look at who is more likely to do that.

With more ways to win points at her disposal, that player is Wang for me.

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SAFER GAMBLING

At bettingexpert, we always take a safe approach to gambling. We’ll never bet more than we can afford or chase losses. For more advice, head to our Safer Gambling hub.