Qinwen Zheng advances as two other Chinese women exit after second round

World No. 7 Qinwen Zheng of China dominated No. 71 Kamilla Rakhimova 6-1, 6-1 in the second round in her opening match in front of hometown fans at the China Open on Saturday.

In the two players’ first-ever meeting, Zheng looked comfortable answering anything Rakhimova sent her way. With each point Zheng won, the Diamond Court crowd erupted in support of their Olympic gold medalist.

“The atmosphere was insane. I never thought it would be so full on the center court,” Zheng said in a post-match press conference. “When I played last year at the China Open, I remember it wasn’t that full. Today, I saw there’s nearly no empty seat.”

The two players held each other in check at the beginning of the match. The first game went to four deuces before Zheng broke Rakhimova’s serve. Zheng built on this with powerful serves, beating Rakhimova in the next game.

Rakhimova roared back in the third game with fast-paced serves of her own to bring the set to 2-1. However, Zheng quickly took control from the baseline, and her well-placed groundstrokes forced Rakhimova all over the court. Zheng’s backhand was exceptionally strong, helping her win her service game and break Rakhimova’s serve in the next.

Zheng didn’t let off the gas and went on to win eight of the next nine points and the first set.

The opening point of the second set saw the only extended rally of the match. Zheng hit an overhead shot from the baseline as the crowd roared its support. Powered by this energy, she won the next three points and the game.

Rakhimova responded with impressive shots of her own in the second game, forcing a deuce and winning. However, Zheng quickly restored her one-game lead, causing Rakhimova to scream at her racquet in frustration.

Unfazed, Zheng continued her dominance, losing only three points in the next four games to effectively seal the win.

“I’m pretty happy with my performance compared to last year here in the China Open,” Zheng said. “Let’s see where I can go this time.”

Zheng will face World No. 66 Nadia Podoroska of Argentina in the third round as one of two remaining Chinese players in the tournament. The other is Shuai Zhang.

Yuan loses matchup to resilient Muchova

World No. 41 Yue Yuan exited the China Open after a second-round 6-3, 6-1 loss to No. 49 Karolina Muchova of Czech Republic. It was the players’ first-ever matchup, and Yuan was continuously a victim of unforced errors.

Yuan opened the match inconsistently and couldn’t seem to find her footing. Muchova won four out of five points in the first game to break Yuan’s serve, and then capitalized on her momentum to race out to a 2-0 lead.

Yuan was able to win the third game, as her big serves posed problems for Muchova. However, Muchova wasn’t fazed, and she hit back with quick serves of her own to bring the set back to 3-1.

Yuan’s woes continued as she missed multiple shots in the fifth game, allowing Muchova to break Yuan’s serve again. Muchova kept the pressure on, and a quick five points resulted in a 5-1 lead.

In the seventh game, with Yuan serving at 15-15, someone in the crowd shouted, “Hit the ball slower!” Yuan looked angry at the interjection, yet something clicked and she began to place her shots with more accuracy.

Yuan went on to win the game, and won four straight points in the next game to break Muchova’s serve for the first time. However, Muchova broke Yuan’s serve in the ensuing game, winning the set 6-3.

In the first game of the second set, Yuan won her first extended rally, and built on the momentum to go up 40-15. However, Muchova fought back to force a deuce. At ad-in, she notched her first ace of the match to take the lead in the set.

Yuan, appearing tired, continued to frustrate herself with missed shots. Meanwhile, Muchova looked calm and collected, allowing the match to come to her. She broke Yuan’s serve twice to go up 4-0.

Yuan cut into Muchova’s momentum and won the sixth game, bringing the count to 5-1. However, it was too little too late, and Muchova clinched the match by winning the following game.

Muchova will next face World No. 80 Jacqueline Cristian of Romania in the third round on Monday. Cristian is coming off a major upset over another Czech woman, World No. 10 Barbora Krejcikova in the second round.

Sijia Wei unable to upset No. 13 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia

Wild card Sijia Wei fell short of an upset against No. 13 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second round of the China Open. She was bested by Haddad Maia 7-5, 6-4. This was 20-year-old Wei’s first time in the main draw.

Wei opened the first set playing well and matching her opponent’s patience and precision. She won the first game then dropped to a 1-2 deficit. She fought back, winning the next two games with the help of four double faults from Haddad Maia in the fourth game. Wei placed some exceptional drop shots and continued to trade games with her opponent before eventually losing the set 7-5. The second set proved to be much the same.

World No. 12 Haddad Maia holds four singles titles, as well as 11 Top 10 wins in her career, and has reached four quarterfinals this season.

—Reporting by Reade Snelling and Egan Ward