Top seed Aryna Sabalenka began her China Open campaign with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-1 win over Thai qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew on Saturday. Despite the scoreline, the world number two faced resistance from her inexperienced opponent, ranked 187th in the world.
Fresh off her US Open victory, Sabalenka struggled to find her rhythm early on against the determined 22-year-old, who played the biggest match of her career. Mananchaya, despite her serving issues, broke back immediately after Sabalenka took a 4-2 lead in the first set, much to the delight of the Beijing crowd. However, Sabalenka regrouped, capitalizing on her second set point to take the first set.
The second set saw Sabalenka raise her level, breaking for a 3-1 lead and cruising to a comfortable finish. Although victorious, Sabalenka’s frustration was evident as she rarely showed signs of satisfaction during the match. She will now face either New Zealand’s Lulu Sun or American Ashlyn Krueger in the third round.
In other matches, third seed Jasmine Paolini battled back from a set down to defeat Denmark’s Clara Tauson 1-6, 7-5, 6-4. Meanwhile, defending champion and world number one Iga Swiatek withdrew from the tournament due to personal matters.
