WTA: SABALENKA VS KEYS IN BEIJING!

The WTA tour is in Beijing currently and the round of 16 will be completed today in the WTA 500 China Open. The event is going on simultaneously with the ATP 500 China Open. Aryna Sabalenka will square off with Madison Keys and Karolina Muchova will face Cristina Bucsa.

ARYNA SABALENKA VS MADISON KEYS

Sabalenka is the top seed at the China Open in Beijing. Aryna is at number two in the world currently after Iga Swiatek. This is her first event she is playing since her win at the US Open. The 26-year-old from Belarus has played a total of 57 matches on the WTA tour in 2024 and Aryna has won 46 of them. So far at the China Open in Beijing she defeated Sawangkaew and Kreuger. She won both matches in straight sets. Aryna has won three of her total 16 titles this season. Sabalenka is expected to win both this match and the China Open.

SABALENKA IS UP IN THE HEAD-TO-HEAD

Sabalenka is up three to one in the head-to-head, and she has won both matches played on hardcourt. This will be the first match between them in 2024. Keys is ranked at the 24th spot in the world at the moment. This is also her first entry on the WTA tour since the US Open. She went out in the third round in New York. Madison has won 24 matches and lost 10 in the 2024 season on the WTA tour. So far at the China Open, she has won against Sorribes and Haddad Maia in straight sets. Keys has won two titles in 2024. Both Keys and, of course, Sabalenka are seeded at the event, and they had a bye in the round of 128.

CRISTINA BUCSA VS KAROLINA MUCHOVA

Cristina Bucsa, from Spain but born in Moldova, has been something of a revelation at the WTA China Open in Beijing. As an unseeded player, Bucsa has played three matches at the event. In the round of 128, she got the better of Yao from China in two sets. In the round of 64, Bucsa won against Samsonova in three sets, and she defeated Mertens in three sets in the round of 32. Cristina is currently ranked at the 79th spot in the world. Bucsa has played 44 matches on the WTA tour in 2024 and won 20 of them. Cristina lost to Sara Errani in the first round of the US Open.

MUCHOVA LOOKING TO CLOSE OUT THE SEASON WELL!

Muchova has been injured for a big part of the year, but since her return to the tour, she has been playing better and better. Karolina has only played 20 matches on the WTA tour in 2024 and won 15 of them. She is ranked at the 49th position in the world at the moment. Her best ranking was at number 8 in September 2023. So far at the China Open in Beijing, she has defeated Blinkova, Yuan, and Cristian in straight sets. This is the first matchup ever between these two players.