Aryna Sabalenka opened her Beijing WTA 1000 campaign with a 6–1, 6–3 victory over Renata Zarazua on Friday, October 2. The second-round match lasted 62 minutes and sent the No. 2 seed into the third round of the China Open.
Playing her first match since the US Open final, the world No. 2 struck 36 winners. That total stands out alongside the 34 points Zarazua won across the entire match, a comparison highlighted in the WTA's report.
No openings on serve
Sabalenka hit 11 aces, committed no double faults and held every service game without facing a break point. She won 22 of 25 points behind her first serve and 10 of 14 behind her second. On return, she converted four of eight break opportunities.
Those figures help explain the scoreline: while protecting her own service games, Sabalenka created chances to put her opponent under pressure in both sets. The highlights released by the official WTA channel capture the main passages of the match.
Bartunkova awaits
Next comes No. 26 seed Nikola Bartunkova, who defeated Magdalena Frech 6–2, 6–2. The matchup brings Sabalenka back against an opponent who has already forced her into a demanding comeback this season.
In their Berlin quarterfinal in June, the Czech player led by a set and 4–0 before Sabalenka turned the match around. Sabalenka won 2–6, 7–6, 6–4 after two hours and 23 minutes. That earlier contest adds context to their rematch: a comfortable opening win in Beijing does not erase the resistance Bartunkova has already shown.
