In Wuhan, China, Iga Swiatek advanced to the third round of the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open on Tuesday, securing a straight-sets victory over Marie Bouzkova. The Wimbledon champion demonstrated a strong recovery following her fourth-round elimination at the China Open the previous week, defeating her Czech opponent 6-1, 6-1.
Swiatek`s Dominant Performance
This win marked the six-time Grand Slam winner`s 60th victory of the year, achieving this milestone for the fourth consecutive season. Swiatek shared her perspective on her approach to tournaments:
“My aim is to perform at my highest level in every tournament I participate in,” Swiatek stated. “While I don`t always succeed, my primary goal is always to give my best. Frankly, I avoid setting specific targets like reaching the semifinals; instead, I focus on progressing one step at a time.”
The second-seeded Swiatek is set to face either Belinda Bencic or Elise Mertens in her upcoming match.
Osaka`s Resilient Return and Other Tournament Highlights
Earlier in the day, Emma Raducanu withdrew from her first-round contest due to illness. During her match against American Ann Li, the British No. 1 required a blood pressure check and temperature measurement. Raducanu retired when Li was leading 6-1, 4-1. Li will now advance to play the ninth seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova, in the second round.
Naomi Osaka overcame a first-set deficit to defeat Leylah Fernandez 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, moving on to the second round. Returning to the central Chinese city for the first time since 2017, Osaka faced Fernandez in the opening match on center court — the same player who famously upset her at the 2021 US Open. Fernandez, who had been defeated by Raducanu in the US Open final four years prior, capitalized on one of her two first-set break point opportunities and maintained a steady serve. However, Osaka intensified her pressure on returns in the second set, which saw a total of five service breaks.
Among other early results, Sofia Kenin narrowly defeated Anastasia Zakharova 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3, setting up a second-round clash with 16th seed Liudmila Samsonova, who herself advanced by beating Emiliana Arango 6-1, 7-5.
Looking ahead, top seed Aryna Sabalenka and third seed Coco Gauff are scheduled to begin their campaigns on Wednesday. Fourth seed Amanda Anisimova, who was a finalist at both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon this season, pulled out of the Wuhan Open due to a left calf muscle injury, despite recently winning the China Open.
