Kerber, Murray Headline Elite China Open Fields
The men’s No. 1 and women’s No. 2 have bowed out, but the China Open remains a blockbuster this week as a combined ATP/WTA event.
ADHEREL
On the women’s side nine out of the Top 10 are in attendance, including defending champion Garbine Muguruza trying to find her form, joined by new Top 10er Karolina Pliskova who is looking to further affirm her breakout performance at the US Open.
On the men’s side Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem, and David Ferrer lead a China Open field featuring a number of dangerous unseeded floaters.
Here is a look at the men’s and women’s fields:
CHINA OPEN
Beijing, China; Surface: hard
Women’s Seeds: Angelique Kerber, Garbine Muguruza, Agnieszka Radwanska, Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, Venus Williams, Carla Suarez Navarro, Madison Keys, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Dominika Cibulkova, Johanna Konta, Timea Bacsinszky, Roberta Vinci, Petra Kvitova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Elina Svitolina
Women’s Floaters: Ekaterina Makarova, Caroline Wozniacki, Lucie Safarova, (Q) Alison Riske, Sam Stosur, Jelena Jankovic, Irina-Camelia Begu
Women’s Notes: Nine of the Top 10 players, sans Serena Williams, in the field…Potential tough starts for (3) Radwasnka second round vs. the powerful Makarova, (13) Vinci second round vs. the resurgent Wozniacki, (5) Pliskova vs. Safarova, (15) Pavlyuchenkova vs. (Q) Riske (winner to meet Stosur), (8) Keys second round vs. the winner of Jelena Jankovic and Kristina Mladenovic, and the shaky-of-late (2) Muguruza vs. Begu…Wildcards were awarded to German Sabine Lisicki and China’s Duan Yingying, Peng Shuai, Wang Qiang, and Zheng Saisai…Notable withdrawals from the event were Serena Williams, Eugenie Bouchard, Sara Errani, Sloane Stephens, Ana Ivanovic and Andrea Petkovic…Muguruza is the defending champ, defeating Timea Bacsinszky in last year’s final…Former champs in the field are Muguruza (2015), Radwanska (2011), Wozniacki (2010), Kuznetsova (2009,’06), and Jankovic (2008).
Men’s Seeds: Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem, David Ferrer, Lucas Pouille, Roberto Bautista Agut, Richard Gasquet
Men’s Floaters: Andreas Seppi, Alexander Zverev, Jack Sock, Viktor Troicki, Fabio Fognini, Sam Querrey
Men’s Notes: The draw boasts four Top 10 players…Murray opens against Seppi, who beat him in their very first meeting 10 years ago…(4) Thiem a brutal start against the riser Zverev, with the winner to likely meet Sock…(5) Ferrer starts against Pablo Cuevas, then meets the Troicki-Fognini winner…(8) Gasquet starts against Querrey…Wildcards were awarded to Thiem, Chinese Taipei’s Lu Yen-hsun, and China’s Zhang Ze…Withdrawing from the event were defending champ Novak Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and John Isner…Djokovic won his fourth straight China Open title last year, rolling over Nadal 6-2, 6-2…Nadal (2005) is the lone former champ in the field.
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