THE FACTS
When is Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka taking place? Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka will take place on Sunday 25th July, 2021 at (not before) 04:30 (UK)
Where is Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka taking place? Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka will take place at Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo
What surface is Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka played on? Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka will be played on hard courts
Where can I get tickets for Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka? There are no tickets for Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka as Olympic Tennis will take place without spectators.
What TV channel is Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka on in the UK? Olympic coverage is shared between BBC and Eurosport so it is worth checking their schedules for Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka
Where can I stream Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka in the UK? If Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka is televised on BBC then it can be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app. If Saisai Zheng vs Naomi Osaka is televised on Eurosport then subscribers can stream the match live on Eurosport Player
THE PREDICTION
World number two Naomi Osaka won her third Grand Slam title earlier this year with a stunning Australian Open campaign. The 23-year-old will be carrying the hopes of Japan on her shoulders as their most high-profile star at the Tokyo Olympic Games but she has not played a competitive match since pulling out of Roland-Garros back in June. Osaka’s stand for improvements in the protection of players’ mental health has not won everyone over but she has carried herself like a champion this year and enters this tournament as one of two stand-out favourites for the Gold medal alongside world number one Ashleigh Barty.
A fourth meeting with world number 52 Saisai Zheng will be challenging but the 27-year-old Chinese player is also coming in cold having not played since the second round of Roland-Garros. Zheng won their first meeting back in 2015 when Osaka was 17 but even that took three sets and since then two more matches have gone to Osaka in straight sets. There seems no reason for that to change here so take Osaka to settle herself into the tournament with a big straight-sets, point-proving performance.