Aryna Sabalenka eased some pressure on herself with a commanding 6-1, 6-3 win over Renata Zarazua in the China Open opener, serving 11 aces and never facing a break point in just 63 minutes. The world number two’s victory came as she tries to adjust after losing her US Open crown and the number one ranking to Elena Rybakina in September.
Sabalenka’s return to winning ways at the WTA 1000 event in Beijing was her first match win since her ranking drop. The 28-year-old Belarusian is searching for her first title since the ‘Sunshine Double’ in March, when she won Indian Wells and the Miami Open back-to-back. This season has been mixed by her standards, with no Grand Slam trophies and visible struggles to control her frustration on court.
Asked about being self-critical, Sabalenka acknowledged both the strength and drawback of that mindset. “I think this is a good and a bad side of my personality, that I always ask and wait for more from myself,” she said. “Sometimes it can drive me forward, but sometimes it can really drain my energy. Maybe this is something I have to finally learn. I'm really trying so hard sometimes to be easier on myself.”
Sabalenka will face Czech 20-year-old Nikola Bartunkova in the third round, a player who nearly upset her at the Berlin Open in June. Meanwhile, top seed Elena Rybakina will begin her campaign on Saturday.
Other early results in the women’s draw included Britain’s Katie Boulter falling 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 to Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova. French Open champion Mirra Andreeva recovered from a first-set loss to beat Chinese wildcard Yuan Yue 3-6, 6-0, 6-0.
On the men’s side, sixth seed Daniil Medvedev produced 12 aces to defeat Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4, 6-2. British doubles players Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Russia’s Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov.
Novak Djokovic battled past China’s Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 to reach the second round. The six-time Beijing champion dropped the first set and needed a medical timeout after struggling for breath mid-match. He consulted the trainer again but found his rhythm in the final set, winning four consecutive games and sealing victory with a backhand winner after nearly three hours. Djokovic will face either US Open champion Alexander Zverev or China’s Shang Juncheng for a quarter-final spot.
According to BBC Sports.