Elena Rybakina is set to begin her Asian swing and the 24-year-old Kazakh learned her potential path to victory at the China Open in her Beijing debut. Rybakina, seeded No 5, has a tough first-round matchup as she is set to face world No 23 Zheng Qinwen.
If Rybakina wins her opener in Beijing, she will next play Tatjana Maria, who has already defeated Martina Trevisan. In the Beijing round-of-16, Rybakina is expected to play against No 10 seed and 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.
The quarterfinal in Beijing will be a rematch of this year’s Australian Open final as Rybakina is expected to meet Aryna Sabalenka there. If Rybakina reaches the semifinals, she could meet fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula there.
If Rybakina makes the Beijing final, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are the names she could meet there.
Rybakina is ready to play again
After losing in the third round of the US Open and withdrawing from this week’s WTA event in Tokyo, Rybakina returned to action in Beijing.
In her pre-tournament press conference, Rybakina revealed what has been causing her problems in recent weeks. “Well, I’m definitely focused now to play less games because unfortunately I’m sick again, and maybe nobody knows.
Yes, in New York it was difficult for me. After that, a few weeks to recover. So now even coming to Tokyo, it’s not the best for me to play there. Yes, now I’m just looking for some matches. Of course, all focus will go to the WTA Finals,” said Rybakina.
This year, Rybakina is playing in China for the first time since 2019. “Yes, it’s been a long time. I think I’ve improved a little in all aspects. Of course, I’m still young and I’m still coming up. It was a wonderful experience for me to play in Wuhan that time for the first time. chance.
Yes, I think it just changes the experience, in general like making decisions in court. Yes, it’s been a long time. Yes, I’m happy to be back,” said Rybakina.
