No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek advanced to the Round of 16 of the China Open after a trailing Camila Osorio retired due to injury, 6-0, 40-0 (ret.), Monday Sept. 29, on the Lotus Court. Osorio became one of five WTA players in Round 3 who retired from a match due to injury.
Swiatek acknowledged Osorio’s health in a post-match press conference, saying, “She told me she got injured at the beginning of the match. It’s always pretty sad to see that because we want to just compete.”
Starting with a bye in the first round, Swiatek has spent less than two hours on the court through her first two matches at the China Open. On the heels of a championship run at the Korea Open which ended just last week, the shorter time on the court this week has offered some respite from the quick turnaround.
“It’s always good to not spend too much time on the court when you want to be fresh. But I’m also ready to play longer matches,” she said in a post-match press conference. “For sure the last two days in Seoul were super intense. I’m happy that I have now more time off to just relax. Maybe even go see something for the first time in Beijing.”
Swiatek noted that she would likely spend more time on the practice courts to keep her ready to play.
“Unfortunately I think the Asian Swing is the hardest part because you feel like the season is going to finish soon, but you still need to push.”
Ranked World No. 2, Swiatek now faces No. 16 seed Emma Navarro, whose Round 3 opponent also retired due to injury earlier in the day. Swiatek is on a six-match win streak and is undefeated against the American through their first two meetings. She has yet to lose a match at the China Open, having won the championship in her tournament debut in 2023.
—Reporting by Dane Vogel
Navarro advances after Boisson retires at start of second set
No. 16 seed Emma Navarro moved into Round 4 after Lois Boisson retired in the beginning of their second set, due to injury. Navarro broke serve twice to take the first set 6-2. She had just broken Boisson’s serve again in the second set when Boisson made the decision to retire.
Boisson, who reached the semifinals at this year’s Roland Garros, confirmed an adductor injury after winning her first tour-level title in Hamburg in July. The injury forced her to withdraw from the tour until she appeared in the U.S. Open in August. Boisson also tore her ACL in 2024.
Navarro reached the quarterfinals of last year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon and reached the semifinals of the 2024 U.S. Open. The World No. 8 American earned last year’s WTA Most Improved Player Award.
—Reporting by Rebecca Jackson
Pegula saves three match points against Raducanu
No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula won 3-6, 7-6(9), 6-0 in a tough two-and-a-half-hour Round 3 match against No. 30 seed Emma Raducanu. Raducanu held three match points in a dramatic tiebreak, but could not convert. The win brings Pegula’s record against Raducanu to 3-1.
Pegula began the first set struggling to find her trademark power and consistency. Her serve was broken at love before the players held serve the next four games, leaving Pegula trailing at 2-4. The players then traded games and Pegula failed to break serve in the ninth game, losing the set 6-3.
In the second set, with the score at 2-2 in a match riddled with her errors, Pegula showed her frustration by throwing her racket onto the court and then making the 24th of more than 30 total unforced errors in the match. She took the fifth game after it went to deuce four times. The players held serve through the rest of the set and moved into a tiebreak.
Pegula stormed back from a 5-2 deficit in the tiebreak, wiping away three match points that would have given the Brit her first Top 10 win since the Miami Open in March. Pegula powered through the drawn-out tiebreak and outlasted Raducanu, whose energy waned by the 17th point. She seemed spent by the time Pegula won the tiebreak 11-9.
Pegula moved into the third set strong while Raducanu struggled to keep up, barely able to put a racket on the ball. Pegula won the set 6-0 in 26 minutes.
Pegula previously defeated Ajla Tomljanovic in Round 2 and will next play No. 23 seed Marta Kostyuk in the Round of 16. If she beats Kostyuk, she could possibly face No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.
—Reporting by Mia Fleischer
Kostyuk defeats Sasnovich in straight sets
No. 23 seed Marta Kostyuk defeated qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-4, 6-2 in the third round. The match lasted 85 minutes at the Moon Court.
In the first set, with the score tied 3-3, Kostyuk took point after point to break serve and take the lead. The players held serve the rest of the set until Kostyuk won 6-4.
Sasnovich opened the second set by holding the first game to love. Kostyuk pulled away after that and broke serve twice as Sasnovich struggled to return balls and fell behind 5-1. Sasnovich held the next game to love and won points in quick succession in the following game to reach 30-40. But Kostyuk fired an ace that prompted a series of four deuces, which she overcame to win the match.
Kostyuk previously defeated Ella Seidel in the second round. She has lost three of her four previous matches against Pegula.
—Reporting by Mia Fleischer
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