BEIJING — Aryna Sabalenka opened her China Open title campaign with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Mexico’s Renata Zarazua on Friday, using 11 aces to advance to the round of 32 in Beijing.
The world No. 2 from Belarus needed 62 minutes to defeat Zarazua, ranked No. 94, and will next face Czech player Nikola Bartunkova.
Sabalenka committed several unforced errors during the match but controlled the contest with her serve and aggressive returns. She broke Zarazua to close out the match on her second opportunity.
“I was just trying to stay focused on myself,” Sabalenka said. “Tried to stay aggressive on my serve, on the return as well.”
“So happy with the game I played today,” she added.
Novak Djokovic was scheduled to play China’s Bu Yunchaokete later Friday in the second round of the men’s 500-level event. The 39-year-old Serbian owns six China Open titles and entered the tournament seeking to extend his unbeaten run in Beijing.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka also advanced Friday after beating Uzbekistan’s Maria Timofeeva 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The four-time Grand Slam champion will next face Czech player Sara Bejlek.
French Open champion Mirra Andreeva recovered from a first-set loss to defeat Chinese wildcard Yuan Yue 3-6, 6-0, 6-0. Andreeva will next meet Uzbekistan’s Polina Kudermetova.
Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, the 2025 Beijing finalist, defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-4, 6-1. Noskova will face Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic in the third round.
In the men’s draw, sixth-ranked Daniil Medvedev defeated qualifier Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4, 6-2. Medvedev will next play Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff.
