On October 23, the 2024 Guangzhou International Women’s Tennis Open kicked off the second round of women’s singles. In a thrilling match between two Chinese players, Wang Xiyu staged a comeback to defeat Wei Sijia with scores of 3-6, 6-0, 7-5, becoming the first Chinese player to reach the quarterfinals of this year’s tournament. Notably, Wang has now achieved a seven-match winning streak in Nansha since last year’s event. Meanwhile, the top-seeded women’s doubles team of Zhang Shuai and Barbora Strycova also secured a spot in the semifinals.
In their previous meeting during the 2019 Guangzhou qualifiers, Wang Xiyu had bested Wei Sijia in straight sets. However, in the first set of their latest match, Wei took charge, breaking in the sixth game to win 6-3. Wang found her rhythm in the second set, decisively breaking her opponent multiple times to take it 6-0. In a tense final set, Wang fought back from a 3-5 deficit, winning four consecutive games to clinch the match at 7-5.
In another matchup, rising star Shi Han, who recently secured her first WTA main draw victory, put up a strong fight but fell to the seventh seed, Anna Matu, with scores of 3-6, 4-6, ending her run in the second round. In other second-round contests, Italy’s Martina Trevisan defeated Romania’s Andreea Mitu 7-6(5), 6-4 and is set to face Wang Xiyu next. Meanwhile, Serbia’s Krystyna Danilovic cruised past the fifth seed, Elise Mertens, with a dominating 6-1, 6-0 performance.
In the women’s doubles quarterfinals, the duo of Zhang Shuai and Strycova put on an impressive display, defeating the Chinese team of Feng Shixin and Yang Zhaoxuan 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals. Another Chinese player, Tang Qianhui, partnering with Great Britain’s Jessy Appelton, also moved forward by overcoming the pair of Grujic and Trevisan with a score of 6-4, 6-4. They will face the third-seeded team of Eikeri and Nakamura for a chance in the semifinals.
Looking ahead to the matches on the 24th, Zhang Shuai will take the court for her second-round singles match against American player Bernarda Pera, marking their first official encounter. Additionally, third seed Yuan Yue will compete against Thailand’s qualifying player, Sa-Longkai, in what will also be their first meeting.
The Guangzhou International Women’s Tennis Open is organized by the China Tennis Association and the Guangzhou Sports Bureau, in collaboration with the Guangzhou Sports Competition Center, the Guangzhou Tennis Association, and the Nansha District Cultural, Radio, Television, and Sports Bureau.
