Qinwen Zheng vs Elena Rybakina Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Rybakina to win heavyweight Berlin first round

Andrew Hendrie

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Last updated: Tue 17 Jun 2025 02:00

Andrew Hendrie 17 Jun 2025

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Qinwen Zheng vs Elena Rybakina predictions for Tuesday's WTA Berlin R1
Rybakina has won two of the three previous meetings
Rybakina has won 19 of her last 24 matches on grass
Zheng only has five grass wins in her pro career
The match is scheduled to start around 2.00am AEST on Wednesday June 18

Expired

Elena Rybakina (Photo by Getty Images)

Qinwen Zheng vs Elena Rybakina Tips, Prediction & Live Stream

You'll be hard-pressed to find a bigger opening round in terms of ranking all year as Qinwen Zheng and Elena Rybakina square off at the Berlin Open on Tuesday.

Qinwen Zheng vs Elena Rybakina Tips, Prediction & Live Stream
Head To Head
Qinwen Zheng Form
Elena Rybakina Form
Live Stream

It's almost a top 10 showdown in the first round of a WTA 500 event, with World No. 4 Zheng coming up against World No. 11 Rybakina. Despite the rankings, it's Rybakina who is the deserved favourite to prevail on the Berlin lawns.

Indeed, Rybakina has won 19 of her last 24 matches on the surface and is a former Wimbledon champion, while Zheng has tasted victory just five times on grass throughout her professional career. Both players suffered somewhat surprising defeats at Queens last week, but I'm backing Rybakina's experience on this surface to be the difference here.

Head To Head

Rybakina leads 2-1, but it was Zheng who prevailed in their most-recent encounter at the WTA Finals by a 7-6 3-6 6-1 score.

Qinwen Zheng Form

Zheng heads into this encounter with a 19-10 record on the season, raising her level as the season has gone on.

Indeed, Zheng only managed one win across the opening two months of the season as she struggled with injury.

However, the Chinese star has climbed to No. 4 in the world over the last couple of months, highlighted by a run to the Rome semi-finals and Roland Garros quarter-finals.

Zheng is still finding her feet on grass, so a semi-final finish at Queen's Club last week is a solid result, with Amanda Anisimova proving too strong.

Elena Rybakina Form

Rybakina has played a lot of tennis this season and heads into this contest with a 27-11 record.

It's been a difficult last 12 months or so off the court, but Rybakina is still managing solid results, including winning her first title of 2025 on the clay of Strasbourg just before Roland Garros.

Rybakina was close to a big result at the French Open as she lead Iga Swiatek by a set and a break in their fourth round tussle, but she ultimately couldn't go on with the job.

The 26-year-old couldn't find her best tennis at Queen's last week, beating Heather Watson before going down to surprise eventual champion Tatjana Maria in straight sets.

Live Stream

Watch and bet on Qinwen Zheng vs Elena Rybakina live tennis from Berlin.

You can watch and bet on the match live at Unibet > Tennis > WTA Berlin with the action available to stream on desktop and mobile.

Geo-restrictions apply, you'll need a funded account or to have placed a bet in the last 24 hours to gain access. 18+ terms and conditions apply.

Verdict

Qinwen Zheng v Elena Rybakina

Two similar sort of players, but Rybakina has the better grass court pedigree and has won two of their three previous meetings.

Zheng is still getting used to the lawns, so Rybakina is the deserved favourite in Berlin.

Rybakina -2.5

Games Line

$1.76 - 2 Units

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