WTA Japan Open tennis: tournament betting preview, prediction, tip & TV details

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Live on BT Sport 2 from 5am Monday

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Su-Wei Hsieh to win Japan Open
2pts 9-2 bet365

WTA Japan Open preview

Su-Wei Hsieh ended a six-year title drought when winning in Hiroshima last year and the Taiwanese ace can follow up on her return to Japan.

The top seed is the classiest operator in the field by some way and should exploit a generous draw which sees her open up against home native Risa Ozaki, who tends to do her winning on the Challenger tour.

Zarina Diyas, a winner two years ago at odds of 33-1, is a potential quarter-final opponent but Hsieh has been competitive in much deeper events than this and should have her measure.

The world number 29 took Naomi Osaka to three sets in the last 16 of August's Cincinnati Masters. It was only last season that Hsieh impressed in runs to the fourth round at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open.

There are few in this field who can call upon such results in Grand Slams and it would be disappointing if Hsieh didn't make a bold bid in her title defence.

A fully wound-up Alison Van Uytvanck would be a big danger in the semi-final but this may be a good time to take on the Belgian powerhouse who is lacking in confidence with wins hard to come by.

Talented Russian teen Anastasia Potapova is understandably favourite to come through the less compact bottom-half of the draw.

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