WTA Guangzhou Semifinal Predictions Including Ann Li vs Shuai Zhang

It will be an all-qualifiers battle in the first semifinal of the WTA Guangzhou Open. Lulu Sun and Claire Liu will attempt to reach their second Tour-level final. Who will advance?

WTA Guangzhou Semifinals Predictions

Lulu Sun vs Claire Liu

Head-to-head: first meeting

Lulu Sun reached her third career quarterfinal at the Tour level with a gusty comeback win against Caty McNally. Despite dropping the first set, Sun was never in danger of losing the match at any point and took control midway through the second set with her first break of serve before closing out an assured 3-6 6-3 6-4 win in two hours. This was her 31st win at all levels, having cruised through qualifying in Guangzhou. In fact, Sun’s return to form stems from her results at the WTA 125K tournaments in recent weeks, where she won the title in Jinghsan and was a semifinalist in Jinan. She is set to rejoin the Top 100 next week.

Claire Liu is also having a resurgence in the second half of 2025. Once touted as a rising star of American women’s tennis, Liu experienced her most disappointing campaign of her career last year, and her ranking fell as low as 435th this season. But the 25-year-old has pieced together a fine week in Guangzhou, which began in qualifying and secured her own three-set victory against the in-form Ella Seidel to reach her first WTA semifinal since 2023. Both players have played with an aggressive mindset all week and confidence has been building with every round. However, with Sun showing more depth and bold shotmaking, complemented by her tricky skidding serve and forehand combination, she has the more effective tools to win this match.
Prediction: Sun in 3

Ann Li vs Zhang Shuai

Head-to-head: Li 1-0 Zhang

Three of the four quarterfinal matches went the distance. Ann Li’s 6-3 6-4 victory against Elisabetta Cocciaretto was the only exception. Second seed Li is the highest-ranked player left in the draw at the Guangzhou Open. The World No. 44 hammered eight aces and broke serve five times in a one-sided win to progress to her third semifinal of the season. Li converted both of her previous two semifinals into runner-up finishes in Singapore and, more recently, in Cleveland. The American will become a Top 40 player for the first time next week.

Zhang Shuai, for her part, defeated Katie Volynets 7-6 5-7 7-5 in over two and a half hours. She needed two attempts to serve for the match. The Chinese wild card continued her extraordinary habit of delivering unexpected results at home tournaments. Zhang is a two-time champion in Guangzhou, but her last title win was in 2017. She’ll be up against one of the best movers on tour, who is over a decade younger. The turnaround after such an exhausting match won’t do Zhang any favors.
Prediction: Li in 2