Chinese tennis stars Zheng Qinwen and Yuan Yue have secured first-round byes in the women’s singles draw at the China Open, according to the tournament draw released on Monday. The home favorites, seeded No. 5 and No. 30 respectively, are poised to make a significant impact in the prestigious event.
Zheng Qinwen finds herself in a competitive section alongside No. 9 seed Daria Kasatkina and No. 19 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, as well as No. 25 seed Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine. This challenging bracket promises thrilling matches as Zheng aims to advance deep into the tournament.
Yuan Yue, meanwhile, will navigate a section that includes No. 7 seed Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic, No. 11 seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia, and No. 24 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium. The Chinese hopeful will look to capitalize on her bye and build momentum in front of the home crowd.
Both Zheng and Yuan are in the same half of the draw as top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and third seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy. Fellow Chinese players Wang Yafan, Gao Xinyu, and Wei Sijia are also in Sabalenka’s section, while Shi Han, Ma Yexin, and Wang Xiyu join Paolini’s section, setting the stage for potential all-Chinese showdowns.
The other half of the draw features an array of talent, including eighth seed Jeļena Ostapenko of Latvia, second seed Jessica Pegula, fourth seed Coco Gauff, and sixth seed Emma Navarro of the United States. China’s Wang Xinyu is set to compete in Pegula’s section, while Wang Qiang and Zhang Shuai are grouped with Navarro, adding to the tournament’s excitement.
Notably, defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland has withdrawn from the China Open. Swiatek, who is currently ranked World No. 1, claimed the title last year by defeating Samsonova in the final. Additionally, World No. 4 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan will not participate in this year’s event.
The China Open is scheduled to commence on Wednesday, September 25, and conclude on Sunday, October 6. As the tournament approaches, fans eagerly anticipate high-level tennis and strong performances from the home players.
Reference(s):
Home players Zheng Qinwen, Yuan Yue get first-round byes at China Open
cgtn.com
