Sabalenka beats Zarazua to begin China Open campaign, vows to be kinder to herself

Aryna Sabalenka beat Renata Zarazua 6-1 6-3 to begin her China Open campaign on 2 October 2026 and said she was "trying so hard to be easier on myself." Sabalenka needed 63 minutes for the victory.

The Belarusian, ranked world number two, served 11 aces and did not face a break point in the match. It was her first outing since she lost the world number one ranking and her US Open title to Elena Rybakina in September, and her most recent tour success remains the Miami Open in March.

Her March triumph formed part of the 'Sunshine Double' after back-to-back wins at Indian Wells and the Miami Open, but she will finish the season without a Grand Slam crown for the first time since 2022 and has often struggled to control her frustrations on court.

Asked about being so self-critical, Sabalenka said: "I think this is a good and a bad side of my personality, that I always ask and wait for more from myself. "Sometimes it can drive me forward, but sometimes it can really drain my energy. "Maybe this is something I have to finally learn. I'm really trying so hard sometimes to be easier on myself."

Sabalenka will face Czech 20-year-old Nikola Bartunkova in the third round; Bartunkova came close to beating her at the Berlin Open in June.

In other women's singles action, Britain's Katie Boulter lost 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 to Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova, while Mirra Andreeva recovered to defeat Chinese wildcard Yuan Yue 3-6 6-0 6-0.

In the men's draw, sixth seed Daniil Medvedev produced 12 aces to beat Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4 6-2, and British duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool advanced in the doubles with a 6-3 6-4 win over Russia's Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov.

Top seed Elena Rybakina begins her campaign at the WTA 1000 event on Saturday.