Taylah Preston Advances in Beijing as Czechs Shine

BEIJING – Taylah Preston, once ranked No. 248 a year ago, has made an impressive rise to the third round of her WTA 1000 debut in Beijing. Currently ranked No. 91, she achieved this after defeating Tamara Korpatsch and No. 22 seed Diane Parry, with a score of 7-6(4), 6-1 against Parry, the World No. 31. This victory represents her second-highest ranked win, following her earlier defeat of then-No. 29 Emma Raducanu in Hobart nine months prior.

Preston reflected on her progress, stating, "It's been a great year... It's nice to be in the top 100 now and hopefully I will stay in there." Over the past year, she has not only reached the semifinals of the Hobart 250 but also secured a W100 title in Japan and a 125 title in Vancouver. Additionally, she reached the second round of the US Open last month.

As she gears up for her next match against Ukraine's Daria Snigur, who upset Jasmine Paolini, Preston is eyeing the possibility of facing World No. 5 Mirra Andreeva should she win. She expressed her desire to maintain her ranking in the top 120 by the end of the year, stating, "I mean, it's pretty tough not to think about it... Getting into the top 100 is probably the toughest part because it's a big milestone for everyone."

In other matches on Friday, Czech players had a strong showing, winning four of five matches. Notably, Karolina Muchova, Sara Bejlek, and Nikola Bartunkova secured victories in straight sets. Muchova noted her eagerness to build on her performance after her 7-6(3), 6-1 win over Katie Boulter. "I'm just happy to be here, I'm happy to play," she remarked.

Linda Noskova also had a swift match against Elena-Gabriela Ruse, contributing to the Czech success at the event. Their achievements follow a recent victory in the Billie Jean King Cup, highlighting their strong performance in international play.

Among notable upsets, Daria Snigur overcame No. 14 seed Paolini in a three-set match. Additionally, qualifier Polina Kudermetova defeated No. 32 seed Clara Tauson, and Dayana Yastremska triumphed over World No. 21 Maja Chwalinska.