China Open: Sabalenka beats Keys in straight sets to enter quarter finals in Beijing

Aryna Sabalenka advances to the quarter finals of the China Open in Beijing for the third time after beating No. 24 Madison Keys in straight sets on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old Belarusian and World no.2 Sabalenka extended her winning streak to 15 matches and also clinching her 48th win this season, which is the second most (behind Iga Swiatek), after beating the American 6-4, 6-3 under 80 minutes.

But also in the past I had a lot of difficult things to face,” Sabalenka said. “After you face certain things, you realize it’s just sport. Okay, if you’re not going to win this match, what happens? Nobody going to die. You’re not going to die. It’s okay. You’re going to go in another tournament and you’re going to try your best in the next one.

“Before it felt like if I’m not going to win this match, something bad is going to happen. I’m going to die, whatever. But these kinds of thoughts create all of that pressure, all of that frustration, all of that crazy stuff. Nowadays I’m just working hard, I’m trying to improve myself every day. Every time I’m on the court, I’m trying to give my best.

“If you give your best and you didn’t win the match, okay. You learn and you try better next time.”

With the victory in Beijing, Aryna Sabalenka has now become the player with the fewest WTA main draw matches played on Chinese soil this Century to register 40 wins (49), according to OptaAce.

Also, in the last 15 years, only Iga Swiatek (12, between Doha and Cincinnati 2023) has made more consecutive quarterfinals in WTA events appeared than Aryna Sabalenka (10).

World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka has not lost a set at the China Open en route to the quarterfinals. She will next face either US Open semifinalist Karolina Muchova or Spain’s Cristina Bucsa tomorrow for a spot in the semis.

Earlier, Naomi Osaka retired from her round of 16 encounter against American’s Coco Gauff in a battle against two former US Open champions due to injury.

The 26-year-old Japanese Osaka won the opening set 6-3 and led by a break in the second set as Gauff came back from 4-3 down to win the last three games of the set before Osaka retired due to a lower back injury at 3-6, 6-4.

“It was a good match up until this point. I wish Naomi a speedy recovery. No one wants to win a match like this. Especially at 1 set all. Overall I tried mb best. It wasn’t my best tennis.. It was one of those matches where you try your best each point,” Coco Gauff, who will now return into the last eight haven gotten to that stage last season commented on Naomi Osaka retiring from their match in Beijing.