The quarterfinals of the 2026 WTA Beijing are set, and the bottom half of the draw will be played first on Thursday, October 8. Seventh seed Karolina Muchova faces 26th seed Nikola Bartunkova, while fourth seed Mirra Andreeva meets 19th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. As always, we at LWOT will offer predictions for both matches, but which players will advance to the semifinals?
WTA Beijing Quarterfinal Predictions
Karolina Muchova vs Nikola Bartunkova
Head-to-Head: first meeting
Former WTA Beijing finalist Karolina Muchova needed nine match points to win a fantastic fourth match against Naomi Osaka. It was a thrilling match, and Muchova looked relieved in the end. The Wimbledon finalist will face compatriot Nikola Bartunkova, who is proving to be one of the most promising young players around.
The 20-year-old Bartunkova defeated Sinja Kraus in three sets to reach her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal. Bartunkova won the first set 6-0 but lost her concentration, which allowed Kraus to capitalise and win the second set. But Bartunkova locked back in for the third and won the set comfortably. Muchova is the favourite on paper, but Bartunkova has already upset Aryna Sabalenka here and won’t be afraid to go after her older compatriot. I will go with Bartunkova in this one.
Prediction: Bartunkova in 3
Mirra Andreeva vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Head-to-Head: Andreeva 0-2 Alexandrova
Mar 30, 2023; Miami, Florida, US; Ekaterina Alexandrova hits a backhand against Petra Kvitova (CZE) (not pictured) in a women’s singles quarterfinal on day eleven of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
#4 seed Mirra Andreeva easily won her fourth-round match at WTA Beijing against Daria Snigur and is in her second China Open quarterfinal. Andreeva has improved significantly since her opening-round match against Yue Yuan and will look to play her best tennis against Ekaterina Alexandrova, who played one of her best matches of the season to take out fifth seed Linda Noskova.
Alexandrova has the ceiling to trouble top players, and Andreeva knows that firsthand. The 19-year-old has never won a set against Alexandrova and must avoid giving Alexandrova control of rallies to achieve a different result. I expect Andreeva to come out firing and display a very high level.
Prediction: Andreeva in 3
Main Photo Credit: Reuters