Chinese qualifier Guo Hanyu stunned tennis fans with a breakthrough victory at the Canadian Open in Montreal, defeating Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-3 on Monday. The win marks Guo's first Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour triumph in singles, a milestone for the 24-year-old who has previously excelled in doubles.
Guo, known for her five WTA doubles titles, has long sought to translate her success to singles. Her journey has largely unfolded in lower-tier International Tennis Federation (ITF) events, but a dominant 6-0, 6-0 qualifying win over Romania's Mihaela Buzarnescu secured her a spot in the Canadian Open main draw. Against Putintseva, ranked 43rd globally, Guo capitalized on her opponent's errors while delivering precise attacks and resilient defense, ending the Kazakh player's six-match winning streak against athletes from the Chinese mainland.
The victory propels Guo to No. 211 in the live WTA rankings. She now faces a formidable challenge in the second round: world No. 1 and second-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland. The match will test Guo's rising momentum against one of tennis's most dominant forces.
