China Open: Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka dominated their opponents as they won in straight sets in Beijing.
Second-ranked Alcaraz cruised into the quarterfinals after he outclassed Lorenzo Musetti in the second round, 6-2, 6-2.
The top-seeded Spaniard hit 18 winners, breaking the Italian’s serve four times in the 81-minute rout. Alcaraz became the first player to win 60 tour matches this season, thanks to the one-sided win.
Next, Alcaraz will face seventh-seed Casper Ruud, who was taken the distance by Tomas Martin Etcheverry 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7) in a three-hour thriller.
In her debut match as the world’s top-ranked player, Aryna Sabalenka delivered a dominant 6-1, 6-2 win against Sofia Kenin in the first round of the women’s draw.
The Belarusian fired 22 winners to just nine unforced errors against the 31st-ranked Kenin and wrapped up a routine victory in 67 minutes in her first match since the US Open.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to play that good on my serve,” Sabalenka said. “On practice, it didn’t work that well. But I was super happy that I was able to bring that level on my serve today. I think it’s helped a lot.”
Sabalenka, looking for fifth tour title in China and first since the 2019 WTA Elite Trophy, will face Katie Boulter or Magdalena French in the second round.
Anhelina Kalinina upset Wimbledon champion and eighth-seeded Marketa Vondrousova 1-6, 6-4, 6-1. The Ukrainian will next play Daria Saville, who beat Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-2.
Other first-round winners included Liudmila Samsonova, Jennifer Brady, and Yulia Putintseva.
