World No.1 Sabalenka battles through Boulter test, sets up Last 16 tie with Paolini in Beijing
WTATuesday, 03 October 2023 at 09:29
Aryna Sabalenka prevailed in her second match at the China Open taking down an inspired Brit in Katie Boulter.
The new World No.1 was in her second match atop the WTA Rankings and sealed a 7-5, 7-6(2) win. Straight sets but not 100% comfortable for the Belarusian.
Sabalenka had some early break points in the opening set, but it was the Brit who actually broke first at 4-3. But she then gave back her serve at 5-4 in serving for the set.
Sabalenka barely held at 6-5, but closed out the set at 7-5 in a set in which she faced 10 break points and didn't serve at her best.
Boulter again broke first, this time in the second set. But it was at 5-4 which allowed Boulter to attempt to serve it out. Albeit Sabalenka broke back immediately and outplayed Boulter to win the match in the latter stages. Just about doing enough at the right moments.
Caroline Garcia and Jessica Pegula are two other players that found their way through. Both in three sets. The latter saw off Anna Blinkova in just over two hours coming from a set down to breeze through.
While Garcia was a set-up winning the first in just 32 minutes, but Putintseva forced a decider which the Frenchwoman took to reach the Last 16. Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are also both in action on Tuesday morning.
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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