WTA China Open draw: Emma Raducanu to face qualifier, Aryna Sabalenka gets handy draw
Emma Raducanu has been handed another big opportunity to earn crucial ranking points after she was handed a kind opening match at the China Open although how kind is still to be determined.
The British No 2 will face a qualifier in the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament, but her opponent is yet to be confirmed as the qualifying event is still to be completed.
World No 61 Rebecca Sramkova – fresh from winning the Thailand Open 2 – is the highest-ranked player in the qualifying draw after she jumped 41 places after her title run while world No 71 Kamilla Rakhimova is the top seed.
Raducanu herself moved up to 16 places to No 54 in the WTA Rankings after reaching the quarter-final of the Korea Open and one or two wins in Beijing could result in another boost.
However, the winner of the Raducanu-Qualifier match will have a tough assignment as fifth seed Zheng Qinwen will await in the second round while ninth seed Daria Kasatkina is a projected fourth-round opponent.
Section 4’s winner will face the winner of Section 3 with Jasmine Paolini the highest seed. The third-seeded Italian takes on either Harriet Dart or Clara Tauson in the second round while a run to the fourth round could result in a meeting with either 16th seed Donna Vekic or 17th seed Mirra Andreeva.
World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka headlines the top half of the draw and she will also open her account against a qualifier while she could meet 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia or 18th seed Madison Keys in the fourth round.
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Sabalenka inherited the top seed status after world No 1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek withdrew due to personal reasons. Elena Rybakina (4), Danielle Collins (9), Maria Sakkari (17) and Ons Jabeur (21) are some of the other big-name absentees.
World No 3 Jessica Pegula headlines the bottom half of the draw either Diane Parry or a qualifier in the second round while she is projected to meet 15th seed Paula Badosa in the fourth round.
If the seedings hold then we could have an all-American quarter-final and semi-final with sixth seed Emma Navarro expected to come through from Section 7 and fourth seed Coco Gauff the likely semi-final opponent.
World No 6 Gauff will face either Clara Burel or Caroline Dolehide in her opener while she could meet 26th seed Katie Boulter in the third round and 14th seed Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round.
Former world No 1 Naomi Osaka is also in Section 6 and she opens her tournament against Lucia Bronzetti with the winner going on to face Yulia Putintseva.
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