Sabalenka gets off to a good start in Beijing

Aryna Sabalenka has made a good start in her journey at the WTA Beijing against Renata Zarazúa, whom she defeated with a score of 6-1 6-3 in just 1 hour and two minutes. After suffering a hard setback at the last US Open, the Belarusian tennis player has taken the short break she had to recharge and return with strength for the final part of the season.

A few weeks ago, Aryna succumbed to Elena Rybakina in the final of the last Grand Slam of the year. Days before, she had lost the number 1 ranking to the Kazakh player, and that same night it was confirmed that she would end 2026 without achieving any majors, in a very disappointing season for her interests. However, the pace does not stop, and there are still several tournaments left where she could reclaim the WTA throne. One of them is in Beijing, and from the very beginning, Sabalenka has shown that her last defeat is history. Zarazúa could only manage 4 games and did not have any break points. Moreover, Aryna lost only 7 points on serve throughout the match.

Sabalenka, looking to regain number 1

Rybakina is defending quite a few points in the final stretch of the season, so the Belarusian player knows that she still has time to salvage the season if she does things right. In the live ranking, Sabalenka is still 2,000 points behind Elena, but the Kazakh is defending the title at the WTA Finals, and Aryna still has a chance to reverse the situation. 

For now, in the third round she will face Nikola Bartunkova, and her first real test would not come until the quarter-finals with a possible matchup against Naomi Osaka or Karolina Muchova. Until then, Sabalenka should advance without problems in the draw, especially on a fast court that suits her perfectly.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sabalenka comienza con buen pie en Pekín