The WTA 250 Guangzhou Open in China has set the stage for an exciting quarter-final lineup following the recent matches on Wednesday and Thursday. Ann Li, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, showcased her prowess with a strong performance, defeating Colombian player Camila Osorio in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2, securing her place in the final eight.
Li stands as the only seeded player remaining in the tournament and is set to clash with Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who earned her spot after a hard-fought victory over local favorite Wang Xiyu. In a match that extended over two hours, Cocciaretto triumphed 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, marking her third quarter-final appearance of the year and improving her head-to-head record against Wang to 3-1.
New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, who came through the qualifying rounds, also advanced to her first tour-level quarter-final since her impressive run to the Monterrey final in August 2024. Sun delivered a commanding performance against Wang Yafan, another Chinese wild-card, winning decisively with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-1 in just 60 minutes. She will now face Caty McNally, the young American who outlasted Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in a marathon match that lasted 2 hours and 42 minutes, finishing with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Adding to the American presence, Claire Liu secured her place in a quarter-final for the first time in two years, defeating Anna Bondar from Russia 6-3, 6-4. Liu’s achievement comes exactly two years after her last quarter-final appearance in Seoul in 2023. She will meet Germany’s Ella Seidel in the last eight, who pulled off a significant upset against No. 6 seed Yulia Putintseva, winning 6-3, 6-2 in just 64 minutes.
Katie Volynets, another American qualifier, continued the trend, defeating French lucky loser Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Volynets will take on two-time Guangzhou champion Zhang Shuai in the quarter-finals. Zhang made her way back to this stage with a resilient come-from-behind win against Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec, ending the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to advance to her first tour-level quarter-final in 13 months.
With the quarter-finals set to unfold, fans can expect thrilling matchups that spotlight both established talents and emerging players in the world of women’s tennis.
