Iga Swiatek made a powerful start to her China Open campaign on Saturday, effortlessly dispatching Chinese wildcard Yuan Yue with a 6-0, 6-3 victory to advance to the third round. The Polish world number two set the tone immediately by breaking serve early, dominating the first set without dropping a game. Although the 110th-ranked Yuan, buoyed by home support, put up more resistance in the second set, Swiatek’s quality proved too much as she sealed the match when her opponent sent a return into the net.
Despite the one-sided scoreline, Swiatek praised Yuan’s efforts after the match, noting the challenges she faced. “She was reading the court pretty well,” Swiatek said. “It wasn’t easy and every game was tight.” The victory extends Swiatek’s winning momentum following her recent title triumph in Seoul, positioning her as the tournament’s top seed after world number one Aryna Sabalenka withdrew due to injury.
Swiatek, who won the Beijing title in 2023 but missed last year’s event, returns to the Chinese capital with fond memories but a focused mindset. “I have great memories,” she said, “But every tournament is a different story so you gotta start from the beginning and grind.” Her next challenge comes against Colombia’s Camila Osorio, who advanced with a three-set win over Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya.
In other women’s draw action, Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva continued her impressive form with a straightforward 6-2, 6-2 win over China’s Zhu Lin, while American Emma Navarro defeated Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse. The tournament is running concurrently with a men’s ATP 500 event, where Italy’s Jannik Sinner leads the field as the top seed.
