After ATP titles were decided in Beijing and Tokyo yesterday, our focus pivots to the WTA tour and more round four action from Beijing as well as the start of the Shanghai Masters.
17:13 CET – Elina Svitolina will face Qinwen Zheng in the Beijing quarter-finals, after a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 victory over Ann Li.
The Ukrainian was far too good for her American opponent, boosting her chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals at Indian Wells next month.
15:45 CET – Over at the Shanghai Masters, Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery has defeated Grand Slam champion Marin Cilic, claiming a 7-6(2), 6-1 win in just over an hour and a half.
The Brit trailed 2-4 in the first set and had to save a set point before eventually running away with the match in the second set.
He will face Russian Karen Khachanov in the second round.
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15:25 CET – Former world number four Qinwen Zheng has battled her way into the Beijing quarter-finals on home turf, ending the dream run of Alina Charaeva, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.
Zheng failed to serve out at 5-3 in the third set, but rebounded to break immediately and get over the line. She will face the winner of Elina Svitolina and Ann Li, who are up next.
It has been a really tough 15 months or so for the Chinese star, after struggling with a serious elbow injury. However, following a run to the US Open quarter-finals a month ago, she has backed that up with a strong performance in Beijing, signalling that she may be returning to her best.
13:03 CET – The next quarter-final in Beijing is just minutes away, with Chinese star Qinwen Zheng looking to delight the home crowd against Elena Rybakina’s conqueror and surprise package Alina Charaeva.
Follow the clash with Flashscore!
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11:11 CET – Tomas Machac, who reached the semi-finals in Shanghai two years ago, has moved into the second round after a 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 victory over home favourite Zhizhen Zhang.
It has been a tough year for the Czech, who has suffered with a number of injury issues, dropping down to 75th in the world rankings. He will be hoping for a good end to the season.
10:40 CET – As we said earlier, Coco Gauff hasn’t been playing her best tennis in Beijing, and she has been punished for it this morning. The third seed has crashed out after losing 3-6, 3-6 to the experienced Elise Mertens.
Whilst this is a story of Gauff not quite reaching her usual heights, it is also one of Mertens playing at an impressive level. If the Belgian can continue in this vein of form, then what is stopping her from going all the way in Beijing?
09:20 CET – Meanwhile, the ATP 1000 tournament in Shanghai has begun this morning with first-round action. The biggest name player in action so far was Matteo Berrettini and the Italian came through an epic battle that lasted two hours and 15 minutes to book his place in the second round.
Follow all the first-round action from the ATP Shanghai Masters.
Still to come this morning in Shanghai, Tomas Machac and Holger Rune both have first-round matches before Marin Cilic takes on Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery in the final match of the day.
09:00 CET – Iga Swiatek was in no mood to mess around in Beijing as the eighth seed saw off the 10th seed and rising star Iva Jovic 6-1, 6-3 to confirm her place in the quarter-finals. It was a dominant display by the Pole and whilst an almost one-hour second set was a lot more taxing than a routine first set, it was still a comfortable victory.
07:45 CET – Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage of the Asian swing! There are no results to bring you overnight but Iga Swiatek is closing in on the first set against Iva Jovic as the Pole looks to secure her spot in the Beijing quarter-finals.
Following the conclusion of that match, world number four and third seed Coco Gauff takes on Belgium’s Elise Mertens. Gauff hasn’t been playing her best tennis in Beijing but will be hoping to continue to build into the tournament and will fancy her chances of booking her place in the quarter-finals.