Aryna Sabalenka defeats Paolini in the China Open to go to the quarterfinals

Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s top player, advanced after losing the second set to Jasmine Paolini, an unseeded opponent, in Beijing on Thursday. After the match, Sabalenka claimed she used her irritation to make sure she advanced to the quarterfinals of the China Open.

In the end, Sabalenka defeated the Italian 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), tying her up with fifth-ranked Elena Rybakina for Friday’s next round.

In the first set, neither player gave anything away, but Sabalenka showed her mettle by hitting three consecutive aces to even the score at 5-4. Paolini then double-failed on the next game’s pivotal point.

The Belarusian jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead in the second set, but lost back-to-back service games to hand the advantage to Paolini, who is ranked 36th.

But Sabalenka managed to pull herself out of trouble, breaking serve for 5-5 and again for 6-6, before winning the tie-break with a brilliant forehand down the line.

“When I’m upset, there’s a line I shouldn’t cross… Today I was simply trying to remain beneath the line and contain my aggressiveness,” Sabalenka told AFP after the match.

The 25-year-old stated, “In some parts of the game, it actually helped me to give myself some energy to fight, to move better, to play better.”

“I was serving fantastically up until 6-4, 3-1, and then something happened, probably because the balls got heavier and bigger and I didn’t adjust,” she said.

I began missing my serves after that, which allowed her to get back into the match.

Earlier, US Open winner Coco Gauff defeated Russian Veronika Kudermetova and advanced to the quarterfinals despite a lackluster first set effort.

Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine was easily defeated by world number 10 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-2 to go to the quarterfinals.

The second-ranked Iga Swiatek, who defeated fellow countrywoman Magda Linette on Wednesday, will face Garcia in the next round.

For the first time since Beijing abandoned its long-standing zero-Covid policy in 2019, the China Open is being held.

On Wednesday, Italy’s Jannik Sinner defeated Daniil Medvedev, the third-ranked player in the world, to win the men’s draw.