Sabalenka beats Zarazua to reach China Open third round

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Renata Zarazua 6-1, 6-3 in the second round of the China Open in Beijing on Friday, advancing to face Nikola Bartunkova in the next round. Sabalenka, the tournament’s second seed, won in 62 minutes, according to match accounts, in her first match since losing the US Open final to Elena Rybakina. Sabalenka made 11 aces and won 60 points to Zarazua’s 34, the reported match statistics show. She converted four of eight break-point opportunities and did not face a break point. The Belarusian took the first set 6-1, then recovered after Zarazua moved ahead early in the second to close out the match 6-3. Afterward, Sabalenka said she was pleased with her performance and intended to keep her attention on her own game. She said she aimed to remain aggressive on serve and return as she continued in the tournament. The result puts Sabalenka into the third round of the WTA 1000 event. Her next opponent is Czech player Bartunkova. One account said their match was scheduled for Sunday, October 4; the supplied reports did not include an official tournament order of play confirming that date.