Varvara Lepchenko vs Shuai Zhang Preview & Prediction | 2026 Merida Open | First Round

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The first-round of the Merida Open sees Varvara Lepchenko take on Shuai Zhang.

Ranking points: WTA 500

Start date/time:

Venue: Yucatán Country Club, Merida, Mexico

Surface: Outdoor hard

How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports Tennis / USA – Tennis Channel

How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / USA – Tennis Channel

Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Varvara Lepchenko vs Shuai Zhang ticket information

Varvara Lepchenko vs Shuai Zhang prediction

Varvara Lepchenko qualified for the Merida Open after wins over Katrina Scott and Elina Avanesyan. The 39-year-old is now ranked 152 in the world. She also qualified for the main draw in Oerias but lost in the first-round to Matilde Jorge. Lepchenko lost in the first qualifying stages of the Australian Open and Transylvania Open to Yexin Ma and Aliona Bolsova respectively.

She faces Shuai Zhang in the first-round. The Chinese player is another qualifier for this event. This ended a run of five straight losses for Zhang, who lost in the first-round of the Australian Open to Taylah Preston. She also failed to make it out of the qualifying rounds of tournaments in Adelaide, Doha and Dubai.

The head-to-head between the pair is 4-2 in favour of Zhang, with the first meeting going all the way back to 2014. Both players will view this as a fine opportunity to pick up a main draw victory, but Zhang’s strong previous record against her opponent and higher ranking does give her the edge.

Varvara Lepchenko vs Shuai Zhang tip: Shuai Zhang to win