The
Jiangxi Open is the next stop on the WTA Calendar which will take place between 16-22 October and starts the final week of the season in terms of the WTA.
Only the WTA Finals will remain for the big names meaning that those outside the top eight will not play again until the end of 2023/start of 2024. Our
preview as ever looks ahead to the main talking points from Nanchang.
Fernandez heads to Nanchang as Hong Kong Open champion
One player who will head to Nanchang full of form and optimism is a certain Leylah Fernandez. The former US Open finalist who like Emma Raducanu who she faced at Flushing Meadows has failed to live up to the high standard she set at the 2020 tournament.
So much so that this was actually her first title since the Monterrey Open in 2022, she has only just returned to the top 50 with this win and will look to continue that ascent this week.
Such has been her descent that she isn't even seeded this week and could face Anna Blinkova in the second round who she defeated en route to the title in Hong Kong. It does present a good opportunity though with the only main seeds in her quarter being Magda Linette and further up Xinyu Wang and Varvara Gracheva. Fairly winnable route for Fernandez.
Haddad Maia top seed in Nanchang
From a winning force to the favourite for the title this next week in Beatriz Haddad Maia. She will be top seed this next week. But she was second second seed in Hong Kong and lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
At one point in the running for the WTA Finals, she hasn't won consecutive matches since San Diego and has not been at the top of her game for some time so an opportunity could yet present itself.
Other top seeds who all lurk in that quarter include Marie Bouzkova, Zhu Lin and Sara Sorribes Tormo. Diana Shnaider, Camila Osorio and Elina Avanesyan also all sit facing the seeds meaning that it could be wide open come Tuesday.
