Sabalenka, Pegula headline WTA China Open draw – but here’s who can stop them
Sabalenka could face either Jasmine Paolini or Qinwen Zheng in the semi-finals
Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula (Icon SMI/Panoramic)
The Asian swing of the WTA Tour is well under way now, with the first big event taking place this week in the form of the China Open. The draw has been announced for the WTA 1000 event, which sees US Open finalists Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula pitted against each other in opposite sides of the draw.
Coco Gauff is also playing as she seeks to get some late season momentum after parting ways with Brad Gilbert following her early exit in New York. While Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina won’t be in attendance – Swiatek for personal reasons and Rybakina due to a back injury – there are plenty of other big names taking to the courts in China.
Is a US Open final rematch on the cards? Here’s a look at how the WTA China Open draw could unfold.
Sabalenka in same half as Zheng and Paolini
With Sabalenka targeting her third title in a row after winning Cincinnati and the US Open, the Belarusian has received a comfortable quarter.
Looming in a semi-final, however, is the prospect of Olympic gold medallist Qinwen Zheng, two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini, or the up-and-coming Mirra Andreeva, who beat Sabalenka at Roland-Garros earlier this year.
Here’s how her path to the title looks:
- First round: Bye
- Second round: Qualifier
- Third round: Sun (29) or Wang
- Round of 16: Haddad Maia (13) or Keys (18)
- Quarter-finals: Krejcikova (7) or Samsonova (11) or Muchova
- Semi-finals: Paolini (3) or Zheng (5)
- Final: Pegula (2) or Gauff (4)
Pegula, Navarro and Gauff drawn in bottom half
In the bottom half of the WTA China Open draw, Pegula will have to fight her way past two of her fellow countrywomen if she wants to set a rematch against Sabalenka in the final.
Gauff has a decent draw, put in the same quarter as the mercurial Jelena Ostapenko. However, Pegula has a tough quarter-final prospect in the form of in-form Emma Navarro. Here’s how Pegula’s path to the final may unfold:
- First round: Bye
- Second round: Parry or a qualifier
- Third round: Kudermetova (32) or Anisimova
- Round of 16: Badosa (15) or Alexandrova (22)
- Quarter-finals: Navarro (6) or Shnaider (12)
- Semi-finals: Gauff (4) or Ostapenko (8)
- Final: Sabalenka (1) or Paolini (3)
There are plenty of exciting early matches as well, with Naomi Osaka playing her first match under the tutelage of Patrick Mouratoglou. The Japanese former world No 1 will take on Lucia Bronzetti, who recently made the semi-finals of the Jasmin Open.
Slightly later in the tournament, a possible rematch of the Wimbledon semi-finals is on the cards as Paolini and Donna Vekic are on a collision course, with the pair playing an intense match tiebreak in London.
