Sun Xinran and Zheng Qinwen Advance in Beijing Open

Sixteen-year-old Sun, the Junior World No. 1, achieved a significant upset, defeating No. 27 seed Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 7-5 in 1 hour and 31 minutes. With this victory, she became the first player born in 2010 to win a completed match at the WTA 1000 level or above. Sun is making her WTA main-draw debut this week, following her success at the US Open girls’ title. She will next face No. 3 seed Coco Gauff, the 2024 Beijing champion.

Meanwhile, Zheng, an Olympic gold medallist, progressed after her opponent, No. 15 seed Anna Kalinskaya, had to retire due to illness while trailing 6-7(4), 6-4, 3-0. Zheng will play No. 18 seed Marie Bouzkova in her next match after Bouzkova ended Kimberly Birrell’s six-match winning streak with a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

In her first round, Sun had impressed by winning nine consecutive games before Eva Lys retired due to a foot injury. Against Bucsa, Sun displayed resolve, coming back from a 2-0 deficit in the second set. After securing a 5-4 lead, she faced a break point but responded with a powerful forehand to maintain her advantage and ultimately won on her first match point.

"I feel really excited before the match," Sun said, noting her initial nerves. "After I feel better and better. Just like this."

Ranked No. 582, Sun is assured of breaking into the Top 500 for the first time, following in the footsteps of Kristina Liutova and Jana Kovackova, both also born in 2010.

Zheng, who attributed her recent success to an intense training regimen in Florida after a disappointing qualifier in Toronto, showed strong performance against Kalinskaya, firing a total of 13 aces. However, she noted a lack of consistency in closing out the first set. Zheng was able to capitalize on breaking serve at a crucial point in the second set, but Kalinskaya's medical timeout after the first game of the decider led to her retirement, granting Zheng the win.

Despite the victory, Zheng expressed dissatisfaction with her performance, indicating room for improvement. "I kind of feel like I made the match difficult today 'cause I got a lot of break points in the first set," she remarked.