WTA China Open Round-Up: Maria Sakkari survives three-hour marathon, Boulter and Krejcikova lead first-round winners

The WTA 1000 China Open begins in the final stretch of the season, and several of the WTA's biggest stars have already taken to the court. In the first round, Maria Sakkari once again secured a victory in a tough battle against American Ashlyn Krueger after three and a half hours.

Other players who took the court and secured good wins include Katie Boulter, Eva Lys, and two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova, all starting at a high level in the penultimate WTA 1000 of the season.

Sakkari prevails in rollercoaster Match

Maria Sakkari was one of the first stars to play on the Diamond Court in Beijing. The World No. 56 faced American Ashlyn Krueger—a very complicated challenge for the first round, and one that delivered a worthy battle for the start of the WTA 1000 China Open. It was three and a half hours of fighting in a true rollercoaster of a match.

It all started with Sakkari taking control of the match after securing two consecutive breaks and leading 5-2. Serving for the set, she had up to three set points, but Krueger managed a comeback, broke back, and seized the momentum—rattling off four consecutive games to take a 6-5 lead. Sakkari managed to force a tie-break, where she agonizingly emerged with the first set in her favor, 7-6(5), after an hour and 18 minutes.

The second set wasn't much different, although this time Krueger took the early lead. The American led 4-2 and seemed headed to take the second set, but Sakkari managed to mount a comeback and was even two points away from victory when Krueger was serving at 4-5. Krueger showed resilience and sent everything to a tie-break, where she ultimately prevailed 7-6(5), an identical result to the first set, after an hour and 10 minutes.

The third set was a true rollercoaster, with both players having their chances and breaks going both ways. Sakkari served at 5-4 with the chance to close out the victory, but couldn't convert. However, at 6-5, she did take her chance and finally closed out a notable victory with a score of 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-5. This win will be a confidence boost and gives her passage to the second round, where she will face Leylah Fernandez (25th seed).

Match Statistics Krueger vs. Sakkari

Boulter edges Baptiste in tough match

Another player who had a difficult battle in the first round was British player Katie Boulter (No. 54), whose ranking has fallen in recent months, but who remains a name of stature on the Tour. The 29-year-old faced Hailey Baptiste (No. 51)—the two had met in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals a week ago, as part of the Great Britain and USA teams that faced each other in the semifinals.

This time Boulter was able to get revenge for what happened in Shenzhen, taking a tight battle 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 after two hours and 40 minutes. The former top-25 player had a solid performance on serve—with a 59% first serve percentage and winning 67% of those points—and was especially sharp in creating break opportunities. Baptiste showed her weapons, being effective in important moments, although the Brit was the one who ended up taking the victory, converting 5/16 break points, while Baptiste secured 4 breaks on only 5 opportunities.

Boulter will face one of the favorites in the second round: fellow American Amanda Anisimova (3rd seed), who will make her first appearance after the loss in the US Open final three weeks ago.

Match Statistics Boulter vs. Baptiste

Eva Lys dominates local wildcard

German player Eva Lys is one of the names that has emerged this 2025 and was the favorite this time against the local wildcard Ruien Zhang (No. 836), a 17-year-old. The German—currently No. 66—demonstrated the clear difference in hierarchy and conceded barely one game against the young Chinese prospect, taking the win 6-1, 6-0 after just 56 minutes. Lys was relentless with her serve—winning 73% of service points—and 57% of return points. The dominance was from start to finish for the 23-year-old star, who adds important ranking points and moves up towards the Top 60.

Her next challenge will be against another teenager: American star Iva Kovic—recent champion of the WTA 500 Guadalajara Open and the 32nd seed of the tournament. A very interesting duel between two players who are starting to make a name for themselves on the Tour and who will have a great chance to make an appearance in the last 32 of a WTA 1000.

Match Statistics Zhang vs. Lys

Krejcikova cruises against Blinkova

The two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova (No. 34) had no major problems overcoming Russian Anna Blinkova (No. 71) and took the victory 6-2, 6-2 after an hour and 9 minutes. The Czech player is in great form, reaching 10 wins in her last 13 appearances (with each of her losses in the last month coming against a Top-10 player).

Against Blinkova, she demonstrated her characteristic hierarchy, winning 65% of service points and 56% of return points. The Czech secured 5 breaks on 6 opportunities, while Blinkova could only break her opponent's serve once on the two chances she had. Krejcikova guaranteed a second-round duel against the 9th seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Match Statistics Krejcikova vs. Blinkova