Google News China Open: Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina notch impressive wins to enter pre-quarters
by ABBEY JOHNSON
Iga Swiatek needed 80 minutes to push past Varvara Gracheva in their second-round match at the China Open on Tuesday. The no. 2 player in the world eventually prevailed 6-4, 6-1 over her opponent. Swiatek faced only break point throughout the match which she wasn’t able to save.
It came in the first set. For the match, Swiatek’s serve and return stats remained quite strong against her rival. The 22-year-old won 22 of 30 points played on her first serve and nine of 14 points played on her second serve.
On second-serve return, the four-time Grand Slam champion 19 of 29 points on return on Gracheva’s serve. Swiatek converted five of nine break points while winning 60 points for the match. Gracheva won 42 points. The upcoming third round match-up in the Chinese tournament will see a Polish derby between Swiatek and Magda Linette.
This will be the first time the two will be playing against each other.
China Open: Elena Rybakina marks one-way triumph
Elena Rybakina, who’s the fifth seed this week, posted a notable 7-5, 6-0 win over Tatjana Maria in their second-round match.
The Kazakh whose poor health forced her to miss the Tokyo Open last week was able to belt her shots past the 36-year-old German. The 24-year-old hit seven times as many winners as Maria’s six. She also had almost twice as many unforced errors as her opponent – 13 to the latter’s seven.
Maria was able to convert the lone break point she had while Rybakina made good of five of seven break points that came her way. Lastly, Coco Gauff was once again assertive in a match that tested her nerves and pushed her to the limits.
Playing Croatian Petra Martic, the third-seeded American needed more than three hours to get the win, 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(2). Following her second-round victory at the China Open, Gauff’s on a 14-match streak that goes back to the Western & Southern Open, in Cincinnati.
