PREVIEW | 2023 China Open WTA Quarter-Finals including SAKKARI v GAUFF and SABALENKA v RYBAKINA

Thursday, 05 October 2023 at 19:30

The Quarter-Finals are here at the 2023 China Open in Beijing with a top class line-up to set up the semi-finals set to take place on Friday morning.

Most of all, Aryna Sabalenka - Elena Rybakina and Maria Sakkari - Coco Gauff are headlining the line-up which was set up on Thursday afternoon. Our preview looks ahead to the ties with the leading talking points and Head to Heads between those involved.

Return to form for Garcia meets new World No.2 Swiatek

Caroline Garcia went from the best period of her tennis career including the WTA Finals win to hardly being able to win a game. But resetting herself after an early exit at the US Open proved good as she has seen off Kateryna Baindl, Yulia Putintseva and Anhelina Kalinina.

The biggest test of course will be the now World No.2 Iga Swiatek. It is a Head to Head which sees Swiatek lead narrowly 2-1 winning in Cincinnati and last year in the first Round Robin game of the WTA Finals.

Albeit it was a title that Garcia went onto win. She won't have the same grace this time, but with Swiatek more vulnerable than ever, it is a possibility tomorrow.

Sabalenka-Rybakina headlines line-up

The last tie of the Quarter-Finals will see a repeat of the Australian Open final between two of the top players and the so called Big Three.

Sabalenka eased past Jasmine Paolini earlier today in a 6-4, 7-6(3) win. While Rybakina saw off Mirra Andreeva yesterday to set up the first part of the tie.

It is a Head to Head though heavily lead by Sabalenka who leads 4-1. Only Indian Wells has gone the way of Rybakina in the past. Their biggest final of course came at the Australian Open which was won by Sabalenka 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The latest chapter of their rivalry will be bookended on Friday.

The other Quarter-Final sees Maria Sakkari who like Caroline Garcia has had a superb resurgence in recent months. She won Guadalajara and in facing Xinyu Wang, a home hero weathered the storm in order to win through. Taking her on though will be a certain Coco Gauff returning after her US Open run.

She saw off Tokyo champion Veronika Kudermetova in her Last 16 game and now faces the Greek who interestingly she has never faced. Other Quarter-Final sees Jelena Ostapenko face off against Liudmila Samsonova as the semi-final line-up will be set.

2023 China Open Schedule

Diamond - Starts at 12:30pm local time

Caroline Garcia [9] (FRA) v Iga Swiatek [2] (POL)

Maria Sakkari [6] (GRE) v Coco Gauff [3] (USA)

Jelena Ostapenko [13] (LAT) v Liudmila Samsonova

Aryna Sabalenka [1] v Elena Rybakina [5] (KAZ)

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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