Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen electrified the crowd at the China Open on Saturday, advancing to the third round alongside top seed Aryna Sabalenka. While Sabalenka faced a challenging start in her match against Thai qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew, she ultimately prevailed with a 6-4, 6-1 victory, marking her first outing since winning the US Open.
Zheng, competing at home for the first time since her gold medal triumph in Paris, dominated her match against 71st-ranked Russian Kamilla Rakhimova, winning convincingly in just 75 minutes with a score of 6-1, 6-1. This strong performance sets the stage for a potential semifinal clash between Zheng and Sabalenka, reminiscent of their Australian Open final where Sabalenka emerged victorious.
In the opening set against Sawangkaew, Sabalenka struggled to find her rhythm but eventually secured the win. Reflecting on her performance, the world No. 2 expressed relief at advancing, noting, “I was struggling a little bit with the rhythm... In the second set, it seemed like everything started working much better.” Despite the pressure of competing against a less experienced opponent, Sabalenka managed to break Sawangkaew's serve at crucial moments.
Also progressing to the third round was third seed Jasmine Paolini, who had a hard-fought victory over Denmark's Clara Tauson, winning 1-6, 7-5, 6-4. Meanwhile, world No. 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek withdrew from the tournament due to "personal matters," adding an unexpected twist to the competition.
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