BEIJING – World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka defeated Ashlyn Krueger 6-2, 6-2 on Monday to advance to the round of 16 at the China Open with her 14th straight win.
Beijing: Score | Order of Play | Draw
The reigning Australian Open and US Open champion started her current winning streak in August’s title match in Cincinnati and is aiming to win her second consecutive WTA-1000 title this week.
“Maybe I’m not playing my best tennis right now,” Sabalenka said. “But I think the way I control my emotions and the way I keep myself is what really helps me compete in most matches,” continues to fight and play my best tennis even in difficult situations. ”
Sabalenka will face No. 18 seed Madison Keys for a spot in the quarterfinals. Earlier in the day, Keys defeated 13th seed and Seoul champion Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3, 6-3.
Numbers surrounding Sabalenka’s hot form on China’s hard courts:
15: Sabalenka’s longest winning streak of her career, compiled between Ostrava 2020 and Abu Dhabi 2021. If he defeats Keyes in the next round, he will match that record.
48: 2024 The number of match wins so far ranks second on tour after world No. 1 Iga Swiatek (57).
39: Number of wins in China since Sabalenka made her China debut in Tianjin in 2017. No player in China has won more games.
80: Sabalenka is the only player in the Open era to have a winning percentage of over 80 percent in Hologic WTA Tour events held in China (81.3 percent, 39-9).
86: Sabalenka’s winning percentage in China’s WTA 1000 tournament is the highest in tour history. Serena Williams has the next highest win rate at 84.6%.
4: She won the title in China and was nicknamed “China’s Girl” by her fans. She has won titles in Zhuhai 2019, Wuhan 2019, Shenzhen 2019 and Wuhan 2018. She has never advanced beyond the quarter-finals and is aiming for her first title in Beijing this week.
“I played in so many tournaments in China and played great in most of them,” Sabalenka told reporters. “The statistics in China are impressive, and we can probably guess that it’s the fried rice that does the magic.
“I love playing in China. I love the conditions. I love the crowd. It’s a really great atmosphere. The tennis community is getting bigger here and more people are watching us play. I feel it. It’s really amazing to see.”
1: Lost to a player outside the top 50 in the PIF WTA rankings this season. Sabalenka defeated No. 64 Kruger to improve her record to 19-1 against sub-50 opponents. Her only loss was to No. 132 Amanda Anisimova in Toronto, which was also her last loss before she is currently undefeated.
14: Sabalenka wins Hologic WTA Tour title on hard court. Her only two other wins came on clay in Madrid.
2: In her career, she has only won the tournament as a top seed twice: in Shenzhen in 2018 and in Linz in 2020. This week, she is playing as the top seed for the 18th time in her career.
