The China Open is now underway as the stars of the WTA Tour look to impress in Beijing.
Nine Grand Slam champions made the trip to Beijing for the ninth WTA 1000 tournament of the year.
The likes of Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Naomi Osaka all received byes into the second round and are set to begin their campaigns on Friday, September 26.
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Unseeded former champions such as Barbora Krejcikova have already played their first-round matches, with the Czech star winning her opener in straight sets.
Not everyone made it through, however, as the 2019 US Open champion lost her first match since returning from injury.
Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu loses in the first round of the China Open
Canada’s Bianca Andreescu last played a match at her home Canadian Open, defeating Krejcikova in round one.
Unfortunately, she was unable to play her second-round match, as she withdrew from the tournament due to injury.
Failing to recover in time, Andreescu was forced to skip the US Open as well, instead making her return to tennis in China.
Entering the China Open with her protected ranking, Andreescu took on qualifier Anna Bondar in the first round.
Both players struggled on serve throughout the match, which finished late at night in front of a sparse crowd on Beijing’s ‘Diamond Court’.
PlayerAcesDouble faults1st Serve %Win % on 1st ServeWin % on 2nd ServeBreak pointsBianca Andreescu1268%49%45%5/6Anna Bondar6356%61%48%6/8Serving stats from Bianca Andreescu vs Anna Bondar
Despite breaking late on in the second set to force a tiebreaker, Andreescu couldn’t take a set off the Hungarian, as she lost 4-6, 6-7 [4-7].
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Andreescu was understandably disappointed with the defeat, in stark contrast to her delighted opponent.
Making her way through to the second round as a qualifier, Bondar took the time to share some kind words about Andreescu after the match.
“She’s an amazing player, she had great results in the past, I know she’s coming back from injury, but I’m just super happy with my performance today and how I managed to stay strong in the key moments,” she said.
“I’m super happy coming from qualifying to be in the second round. It’s my second time here.
“I’m grateful to the people who stayed and watched us. It’s super late, so I really appreciate that you guys stayed to cheer for us.”
Bondar will now rest up ahead of her second-round match against Veronika Kudermetova on Friday, but where will we see Andreescu play next?
Bianca Andreescu will play qualifying in Wuhan
Unlike Beijing [96], the upcoming Wuhan Open is a 56-player draw.
Therefore, Andreescu’s protected ranking isn’t strong enough to see her gain direct entry into the main draw.
She will instead have to advance through qualifying, something she has struggled with so far in 2025.
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Andreescu failed to advance to the main draw of both the French Open and Wimbledon this year, suffering two devastating defeats.
2025 French Open Q1 [WIN] vs Yao Xinxin – 6-0, 6-02025 French Open Q2 [LOSS] vs Nao Hibino – 6-2, 6-7, 4-62025 Wimbledon Q1 [WIN] vs Laura Pigossi – 6-2, 6-12025 Wimbledon Q2 [LOSS] vs Carson Branstine – 6-7, 6-4, 1-6
Only time will tell if she can get the job done in Wuhan, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
Qualifying for the 2025 Wuhan Open is set to begin on Saturday, October 4.