Halep Leads All-In China Open Women’s Field, Del Potro Heads Men; Preview
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The entire Top 17 is in attendance on the women’s side, where Caroline Garcia will be tested to defend her title from 2017.
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On the men’s side three of the Top 10 and seven of the Top 20 mark a formidable field with a number of seeds tested early by tour veterans.
CHINA OPEN
BEIJING, China; surface: hard
Women’s Seeds: Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, Caroline Garcia, Petra Kvitova, Elina Svitolina, Karolina Pliskova, Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens, Julia Goerges, Kiki Bertens, Jelena Ostapenko, Daria Kasatkina, Garbine Muguruza, Elise Mertens, Madison Keys
Women’s Floaters: Bernarda Pera, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Daria Gavrilova, Kristina Mladenovic, Johanna Konta, (WC) Sam Stosur, Magdalena Rybarikova, Ekaterina Makarova, Belinda Bencic
Women’s Notes:
Upsets in Day 1 play already include Gavrilova d. (5) Kvitova and Aleksandra Krunic d. (6) Svitolina…
Interesting starts for (17) Keys vs. American countrywoman (LL) Pera, the struggling (9) Stephens vs. Pavlyuchenkova, (3) Kerber vs. the unpredictable Mladenovic, (10) Goerges vs. Konta, (7) Pliskova vs. (WC) Stosur, (12) Ostapenko vs. Rybarikova, (14) Muguruza vs. Makarova, and (2) Wozniacki vs. Bencic…
Late withdrawals and draw re-shuffling resulted in first-round byes for unseeded players (WC) Qiang Wang, Aryna Sabalenka and Anett Kontaveit…
Wildcards were awarded to Stosur and China’s Duan Yingying, Wang Qiang, Wang Yafan and Zheng Saisai…
The powerhouse line-up withdrawing from the field were Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Ashleigh Barty and Agnieszka Radwanska…
Garcia is the defending champ, upsetting Halep in the 2017 final…
Former champions in the field are Garcia (2017), Muguruza (2015), and Wozniacki (2010).
Men’s Seeds: Juan Martin del Potro, Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov, Fabio Fognini, Kyle Edmund, Jack Sock, Borna Coric, Marco Cecchinato
Men’s Floaters: Al Ramos-Vinolas, Karen Khachanov, Sam Querrey, (WC) Feliciano Lopez, Marcos Baghdatis, Gael Monfils, Roberto Bautista-Agut
Men’s Notes:
Juan Martin del Potro leads the three Top 10 seeds amidst a field of veteran floating threats…
Early hurdles for the seeds include (1) Del Potro vs. Ramos-Vinolas (winner to face the Khachanov-Querrey victor), (7) Coric vs. (WC) Lopez, (8) Cecchinato vs. (WC) Baghdatis, and (2) Zverev vs. (2) Bautista-Agut…
Wildcards were awarded to Lopez, Baghdatis, and former junior world No. 1 Wu Yibing…
Pulling out of the event were Pablo Carreno Busta, John Isner, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal…
Nadal beat Kyrgios, both players missing this year, in last year’s final…
Baghdatis, who won the title 12 years ago, is the lone former champion in the field.
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