Top seed Aryna Sabalenka opened her China Open campaign with a victory over qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew. Joining her in the third round were Jasmine Paolini, Zheng Qinwen, and Beatriz Haddad Maia. However, Barbora Krejcikova, defending champion Liudmila Samsonova, and Dayana Yastremska were eliminated.
Sabalenka’s win over Sawangkaew was hard-fought, with the Belarusian prevailing 6-4 6-1 after 76 minutes of play. Sabalenka emphasized the importance of staying focused and motivated, aiming for a spot in the WTA Finals. Sawangkaew, ranked 187, made her WTA Tour debut last week and showed great determination in her first-round victory.
In another match, Jasmine Paolini, the third seed, overcame Clara Tauson in three sets to secure her spot in the third round. Paolini shared her goal of qualifying for the WTA Finals and expressed excitement at the prospect of playing in the year-end championship.
Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen delighted Chinese fans with a commanding straight-sets win over Kamilla Rakhimova. Zheng, ranked World No 7, is aiming to continue her impressive form after recent successes, including a title defense in Palermo and a quarter-final appearance at the US Open.
Beatriz Haddad Maia, the 13th seed, also advanced to the next round with a straight-set victory over wild-card Sijia Wei. The competition at the China Open continues to intensify as top players vie for a spot in the later stages of the tournament.
