The draw for the China Open, the ninth WTA 1000 event of 2025, is out. Iga Swiatek, fresh off her third title of the year in Seoul, is the No. 1 seed, while defending champion Coco Gauff is No. 2. Another key storyline will be the return to action of hometown hero Zheng Qinwen, playing her first tournament since undergoing right elbow surgery in July.

Beijing: Scores | Draws | Order of play

Zheng, the No. 7 seed, has not competed since her first-round exit at Wimbledon to Katerina Siniakova. She will open against either Suzan Lamens, a quarterfinalist last week in Seoul, or compatriot Wang Yafan. Her section of the draw doesn’t get any easier from there: the 22-year-old is projected to face No. 26 seed Linda Noskova in the third round. Potential fourth-round opponents include No. 10 seed Clara Tauson, Montreal champion and No. 21 seed Victoria Mboko and Siniakova.

The 32 seeded players all have first-round byes. Swiatek will start against either Yulia Putintseva or wild card Yuan Yue, while Gauff will face either Kamilla Rakhimova or Lucia Bronzetti.

Two former major champions are unseeded threats in the draw as they also make their way back from injury layoffs. Barbora Krejcikova takes on Anna Blinkova in her opener, with the winner to play Seoul finalist and No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. Meanwhile, Bianca Andreescu returns to action for the first time since injuring her ankle in Montreal a month ago. The Canadian faces Magda Linette, with No. 24 seed Veronika Kudermetova awaiting the winner.

Australian Open champion Madison Keys joined US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka on the sidelines, withdrawing from the tournament on Monday due to injury.

Projected fourth-round matchups

[1] Iga Swiatek vs. [16] Emma Navarro
[12] Naomi Osaka vs. [5] Jessica Pegula
[4] Mirra Andreeva vs. [14] Daria Kasatkina
[10] Clara Tauson vs. [7] Zheng Qinwen
[6] Jasmine Paolini vs. [11] Elina Svitolina
[13] Karolina Muchova vs. [3] Amanda Anisimova
[8] Elena Rybakina vs. [9] Ekaterina Alexandrova
[15] Belinda Bencic vs. [2] Coco Gauff

Here’s how the draw breaks down by quarter:

Champions Reel: How Iga Swiatek won Seoul 2025

First quarter

Swiatek is projected to face No. 28 seed Anna Kalinskaya in the third round, No. 16 seed Emma Navarro in the fourth round and No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals. The Pole is one of three former champions in the draw, and is bidding to reclaim the title she previously won in 2023. The player she defeated in that year’s final, No. 19 seed Liudmila Samsonova, is another potential last-16 opponent.

Pegula’s section is one of the most intriguing in the draw. She is projected to meet No. 30 seed Emma Raducanu, who will be making her tournament debut, in the third round; she currently owns a 2-1 head-to-head lead over the Briton, including 2-0 on hard courts. Whoever emerges from that tussle could face either 2019 champion Naomi Osaka, the No. 12 seed, or No. 23 seed Marta Kostyuk in the last 16. Osaka has been resurgent over the past two months, reaching the Montreal final and US Open semifinals to rocket back into the Top 20.

First-round matches to watch: Ann Li vs. Camila Osorio, Rebecca Sramkova vs. Elena-Gabriela Ruse

Champions Reel: How Victoria Mboko won Montreal 2025

Second quarter

After winning back-to-back WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells, Mirra Andreeva solidified her Top 5 status by compiling a 31-8 record this year through Roland Garros. Since then, the 18-year-old’s results have been quieter: she’s 7-5 since Roland Garros, and just 2-2 since Wimbledon. The No. 4 seed in Beijing, where she was a quarterfinalist last year, Andreeva will open against either wild card Zhu Lin or a qualifier. She’ll have to navigate a section that includes big-hitting No. 29 seed Dayana Yastremska in a potential third round.

In the last 16, Andreeva could face either No. 14 seed Daria Kasatkina or her regular doubles partner, No. 17 seed Diana Shnaider — two more players in need of a deep run at the close of the season, given their respective season records of 19-21 and 24-21. Shnaider could face a tricky opener against fast-rising 19-year-old Maya Joint, who made her first career WTA 500 semifinal last week in Seoul. The Australian teenager opens against a qualifier.

Zheng has a mixed record against the young talents in her section. She’s 2-0 against Noskova, but has yet to defeat Tauson in two meetings — once in juniors and once in pros. Meanwhile, Mboko joins Raducanu as a player who is making her debut in Beijing as a seed. This time last year, the 19-year-old Canadian was ranked No. 356; now, she’s a WTA 1000 champion on the verge of the Top 20. Mboko will bid to notch her first win since lifting the Montreal trophy against either Siniakova or Anastasia Potapova.

First-round matches to watch: Jessica Bouzas Maneiro vs. Jaqueline Cristian, Zeynep Sonmez vs. [WC] Wei Sijia, Katerina Siniakova vs. Anastasia Potapova, Suzan Lamens vs. [SR] Wang Yafan

Champions Reel: How Amanda Anisimova won Doha 2025

Third quarter

Fresh off leading Italy to a successful defense of their Billie Jean King Cup title last week, No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini enters Beijing on a high. She could face a tricky opponent off the bat, though — 2018 runner-up Anastasija Sevastova, whom she barely escaped in three sets at Wimbledon. Sevastova’s ranking is still down at No. 221, but since returning from an ACL injury in April the Latvian has already scored wins over Pegula and Jelena Ostapenko. She’ll need to defeat Kimberly Birrell in the first round to set up a rematch against Paolini.

Paolini’s route doesn’t get any easier after that. She’s projected to face No. 27 seed Sofia Kenin — against whom she has yet to win a set in three meetings — in the third round. Kenin is searching for some form — the 2020 Australian Open champion hasn’t won back-to-back main-draw matches since Roland Garros — but throughout her career has a track record of hitting her hot streaks with little warning.

In the last 16, Paolini could resume her rivalry with No. 11 Elina Svitolina — a matchup that has provided some thrilling contests this year. Svitolina got the better of Paolini twice on the Grand Slam stage in three-setters at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, but Paolini managed to notch her first win in the series last week at the Billie Jean King Cup. To get there, Svitolina will have to navigate a section that contains Andreescu, Veronika Kudermetova and Tatjana Maria.

The third quarter is led by No. 3 seed Amanda Anisimova, competing for the first time since reaching her second Grand Slam final of the year at the US Open. The American will play her first match as a Top 5 player against either Hailey Baptiste or Katie Boulter, and is projected to face home favorite and No. 31 seed Wang Xinyu in the third round.

A potential fourth-round meeting between Anisimova and No. 13 seed Karolina Muchova, last year’s runner-up, could make for a fascinating stylistic clash. The pair have only played once previously, with Anisimova advancing via retirement at Roland Garros 2022.

First-round matches to watch: Magda Linette vs. [SR] Bianca Andreescu, Tatjana Maria vs. Marie Bouzkova, Katie Boulter vs. Hailey Baptiste

Champions Reel: How Iva Jovic won Guadalajara 2025

Fourth quarter

Gauff’s up-and-down form in 2025 has seen the American at her gritty best during the clay swing, which culminated in her second major title at Roland Garros — but also fail to reach a final on any other surface, with her service yips returning to afflict her during the North American hard court swing. She’s projected to face No. 25 seed Leylah Fernandez, whom she has a 2-0 head-to-head lead over, in the third round. In the last 16, Gauff could then meet either No. 15 seed Belinda Bencic or No. 22 seed Jelena Ostapenko, both of whom have also struggled for form in recent months after standout results earlier in 2025. Since reaching the Wimbledon semifinals, Bencic’s record is just 2-3, while Ostapenko has won just three out of nine matches since Roland Garros.

No. 8 seed Elena Rybakina has landed in a section full of dangerous opponents. The big-serving Kazakhstani will have to be prepared to take on a barrage of variety in her opener against either Wimbledon quarterfinalist Laura Siegemund or Caty McNally, two players with net-rushing instincts and every shot in the book. Rybakina is 6-1 overall against Siegemund, but was forced to retire in her only previous meeting with McNally.

In the third round, Rybakina is projected to face Iva Jovic, the 17-year-old who was ranked outside the Top 100 in June but who has surged into the No. 32 seed spot here after capturing her first WTA title in Guadalajara two weeks ago. Despite Jovic’s inexperience — Beijing will be just her 11th tour-level event — this is already a familiar matchup for her; Rybakina defeated her in straight sets at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros this year.

Two-time major champion Krejcikova’s return from a back injury this year has been riveting to watch — not least due to the number of unlikely comebacks the Czech has pulled off. Since June, she’s won from match points down on four separate occasions, the latest of those being an escape from 6-4, 5-2 down against Raducanu last week in Seoul. If Krejcikova’s second-round clash against Alexandrova happens, it could be one to circle; with a 41-20 record so far, Alexandrova is quietly putting together a career-best season, and the 30-year-old could be eyeing a Top 10 debut in the closing two months. Alexandrova has a 3-2 head-to-head advantage over Krejcikova, though they have not played since 2021.

Whoever emerges from that match could have to face either No. 20 seed Elise Mertens or McCartney Kessler — both two-time titlists this year — in order to reach a potential last-16 meeting with Rybakina.

First-round matches to watch: Laura Siegemund vs. Caty McNally, Barbora Krejcikova vs. Anna Blinkova, Ashlyn Krueger vs. Maria Sakkari