China Open 2014: Daily Scores, Results and Draw Schedule
Novak Djokovic preserved his undefeated streak in Beijing.
The world No. 1 was looking to triumph in this competition for the fifth time; he’s not lost in the tournament since making his debut in the event back in 2009.
As you might expect, it's a venue the Serb really enjoys playing at, and he’s spoken of his excitement at competing in front of the Chinese supporters again this year, per atpworldtour.com:
"I enjoy my time in China. I think over the years the tournament has been growing in every sense.
You can see that more fans are coming to support their tennis players. I have a big fan club here, teenagers especially, who come and support me, give me presents every day. That's something that makes me feel very special and encourages me to play my best tennis here.
"
Given his stellar record in this competition, it was understandable that Djokovic is the favourite to triumph once again at the Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Centre, but there were a host of elite players that will be looking to wrestle away the China Open crown from his grasp. Most notably, Rafael Nadal.
Having missed a lot of tennis throughout the summer with a wrist injury, the Spaniard made his long awaited return at the China Open. The clay-court master has won at this event once before in 2005, but he’ll likely feel nine years is far too long a spell without sampling success in Beijing.
In addition to the elite names of Djokovic and Nadal, Marin Cilic also took to the court in China as he looks to build on his maiden Grand Slam win at Flushing Meadows in the U.S. Open. Tomas Berdych, Grigor Dimitrov and Andy Murray complete a stellar-looking top six seeds.
Serena Williams was the top seed in the women’s draw, but the big news ahead of this tournament was the recent retirement of home-crowd favourite Li Na. Petra Kvitova, who will be seeded third behind Williams and Simona Halep, admitted that it feels strange playing in Beijing without Li, per english.peopledaily.com:
"For sure I will miss her so much, and it's going to be sad a little bit, I think.
She's leaving us. She helped so much in the tennis world, in China also. Just pleased for her great career, and she can really be very proud of herself
"
Maria Sharapova also featured in Beijing as she looked to finish her 2014 season with a flourish. She entered this tournament in sensational form following her sixth U.S. Open triumph at Flushing Meadows. The American looked to be the player to beat on the cusp of this tournament.
With a host of top-quality players on show the action should be engrossing and plentiful.
All statistics courtesy of atpworldtour.com
Schedule
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| Seed | Men's | Women's |
| 1. | Novak Djokovic (SRB) | Serena Willams (USA) |
| 2. | Rafael Nadal (ESP) | Simona Halep (ROU) |
| 3. | Tomas Berdych (CZE) | Petra Kvitova (CZE) |
| 4. | Main Cilic (CRO) | Maria Sharapova (RUS) |
| 5. | Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) | Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) |
| 6. | Andy Murray (GBR) | Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) |
| 7. | Ernests Gulbis (LAT) | Angelique Kerber (GER) |
| 8. | John Isner (USA) | Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) |
All seedings courtesy of atpworldtour.com
For the full men's and women's draw click here
Oct. 5: Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova Crowned Champions
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October 5 Results:
Men's Singles
Novak Djokovic defeated Tomas Berdych 6-0, 6-2
Women's Singles
Maria Sharapova defeated Petra Kvitova 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
Novak Djokovic stormed almost unopposed to China Open glory on Sunday, taking a straight-sets win over Tomas Berdych in a match the Czech challenger never really looked like posing a threat.
Berdych was outclassed in every facet of the fixture as Djokovic took his fifth China Open trophy, Live Tennis quoting the Serbian as being appreciative of Beijing, a fortunate haven for his exploits thus far:
"'Everything I tried worked,' Djokovic says. 'Beijing is definitely my lucky place.' pic.twitter.com/UgnTNCKBqW
— Live Tennis (@livetennis) October 5, 2014"
Maintaining a stellar unbeaten record in China to 25 games, Djokovic dropped just two games in total as he put on a masterpiece of his most rampant form, certainly not in any mood to let his opposition have a say on where the title ended up.
Per the official China Open website, it was in the serving game that Berdych lost his right to contest, winning only 22 percent of his second-serve points.
There was only five total aces to speak of throughout the tie, but Berdych struggled to establish any sort of rallying momentum against an unstoppable force.
As a result, he maintains his priority place at the front of the queue for London's ATP Finals, claiming another big points win in decisive fashion this weekend.
Maria Sharapova, meanwhile, triumphed in the women's final, beating Petra Kvitova in a tie where the balance of power exchanged hands on numerous occasions.
The left-hander saw her serve broken in the first game but capitalised upon Kvitova's mistakes to take the first set, her opponent making no less than 17 unforced errors.
Kvitova would clean up her act to take the second set, dropping just two games along the way and exposing her foe on the hard court, a setting that's proven difficult for Sharapova to thrive upon in recent months.
However, with the world No. 2 spot on the line, Sharapova battled back and ultimately decided the last game to love, holding any nerve to emerge victorious in Beijing.
This being the first China Open crown of her career, Sharapova is also the first Russian to win the title since Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2009, overcoming her final disappointment of 2009 to win in three sets.
Oct. 4: Novak Djokovic Cruises into the Final at Andy Murray’s Expense
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October 4 Results:
Men's Singles:
Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray 6-3 6-4
Tomas Berdych defeated Martin Klizan 6-4 6-1
Women's Singles:
Petra Kvitova defeated Samantha Stosur 6-3 5-7 6-2
Maria Sharapova defeated Ana Ivanovic 6-0 6-4
Men's Doubles
Jean-Julien Rojer & Horia Tecau defeat Fabio Fognini & Leanordo Mayer 6-4 6-4
[4] Julien Benneteau & Vasek Pospisil defeat [Q] Johan Brunstrom & Nicholas Monroe 6-7 6-2 10-5
Women's Doubles
[5] Andrea Hlavackova & Shuai Peng defeat [2] Cara Black & Sania Mirza 6-4 6-4
World no. 1 Novak Djokovic continued his astounding China Open form on Saturday, as he swept Andy Murray aside in straight sets to reach the final for the fifth consecutive year.
The Serbian has now won 23 matches in the tournament without tasting defeat, and the 6-3 6-4 victory over Murray demonstrated that he’s in no mood to let that record slip anytime soon.
The Scotsman had started the match impressively, but at 4-3 down and on serve, the defining moment of the match occurred.
Murray saved two break points while on the back foot in Game 8, but there was nothing he could do about the third, and the fist pump that followed Djokovic’s break showed just how big a moment it was.
The 27-year-old served out the first set and broke once again in the second-set opener, as the favourite looked to get the match over and done with in double-quick time.
However, Murray came rallying back to make it 3-3, but that’s about as good as it got for the 2013 Wimbledon champion, who played a few sloppy shots in the closing games to hand Djokovic a 6-3 6-4 victory.
If there’s one thing that Djokovic doesn’t need, it’s handouts; but Murray’s lack of energy and ideas made it a routine victory in the end.
That’s the difference between the two—while Murray disappears from games, Djokovic remains ever-present, and their gulf in class was present for all to see on Saturday.
Even the 27-year-old himself said to BBC Sport after the match that his errors cost him, as he reflected on an up-and-down day at the office:
“I was doing a decent job of it myself, but I just made a few too many errors today. I played some good stuff. But the period the middle of the first set, and the beginning of the second set, I could have done better.”
Much of Murray’s incompetence came on second serve, as he couldn't find a way to put Djokovic on the back foot at the second time of asking.
Take nothing away from Djokovic, though, who was simply outstanding throughout.
Maybe there’s something in the Beijing water that makes the Serbian a tennis immortal—who knows—but the fact remains that he’ll take some stopping on his mission for title no. 5.
Aiming to stop the sensational Serb will be Tomas Berdych, who demolished Rafa Nadal's conqueror Martin Klizan in the second semi-final on Saturday.
A 6-4 6-1 victory saw the Czech through, and he's now a couple of hours and the game of a lifetime away from emerging victorious in Beijing.
Anything other than Berdych's very best will be punished by Djokovic, who looks odds on to claim his fifth consecutive China Open title.
Elsewhere, the women's finalists were confirmed on Saturday, as Maria Sharapova joined Petra Kvitova after victories over Ana Ivanovic and Samantha Stosur respectively.
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Oct. 3: Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic Tee Up Beijing Semi-Final
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Oct. 3 Results
Men's Quarter-Finals
[1] Novak Djokovic defeats [5] Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-4
[6] Andy Murray defeats [4] Marin Cilic 6-1, 6-4
[3] Tomas Berdych defeats [8] John Isner 6-1, 6-4
Martin Klizan defeats [2] Rafael Nadal 6-7, 6-4, 6-3
Men's Doubles Quarter-Finals
Julien Benneteau & Vasek Pospisil defeats Feliciano Lopez & Max Mirnyi 6-3, 7-6(6)
Women's Quarter-Finals
Samantha Stosur defeats [1] Serena Williams, walkover
Petra Kvitova [3] defeats Roberta Vinci 7-6(2), 6-4
Maria Sharapova [4] defeats Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-0, 6-4
Women's Doubles Semi-Finals
Andrea Hlavackova [5] & Shuai Peng defeat Alla Kudryavtseva [6] & Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-4
Andy Murray moved past U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic to claim his berth in the semi-finals of this year's China Open, where he'll face a stiff challenge from Novak Djokovic, who beat Grigor Dimitrov earlier on Friday.
Croatian Cilic gifted Murray control of their clash thanks to some surprisingly poor statistics on his own serve. The China Open's official website shows he won just 47 percent of first-serve points in Set 1.
For Cilic, the booming serve is the crutch upon which his game is based. Without it, his downfall was rapid as Murray took the first set 6-1, with not a single ace recorded in those opening seven games.
That would change in Set 2, however, where the Briton bested his adversary once more, this time striking five aces to Cilic's one, and it was just as well as the Croat grew increasingly comfortable on court.
Failing to recover from that first-set defeat, Cilic fell to his Scottish opponent with an eventual break in the 10th game of the second. Murray now faces the daunting threat of Djokovic for a place in the final.
The four-time China Open victor and defending champion had a frustrating time on Friday, smashing his racket on the Beijing court during the second set.
However, Djokovic maintained his unbeaten record in China to take a straight-sets win in less than 90 minutes.
Murray must look to take the initiative against the top seed, as he did against Cilic on Friday. A similarly quick start is vital if he's to stop Djokovic's undefeated record in Beijing.
Elsewhere, Tomas Berdych eased his way past John Isner in straightforward fashion. The Czech star quickly found his rhythm in an encounter which lasted just 74 minutes, per the official ATP World Tour website. Isner's serve is so often a potent weapon, but it failed to fire as Berdych assumed control.
A dramatic end to Serena Williams' tournament arose on the women's side of the draw. The No.1 seed was unable to compete against Samantha Stosur due to a knee injury, allowing Stosur a free pass into the semi-final. Williams is due to fly home and have a scan, per BBC Sport, after saying, "It throbs just sitting, standing."
Maria Sharapova did make it onto court and posted another simple win, this time over Svetlana Kuznetsova. The No. 4 seed is gaining real momentum and won 74 percent of points on her first serve, giving her opponent little chance of getting a foothold in the match. The all-Russian affair started with a first set whitewash in Sharapova's favour, and it was plain sailing from there.
Andrea Hlavackova and Shuai Peng are through to the women's doubles final after blitzing Alla Kudryavtseva and Anastasia Rodionova. The victorious pair needed little over an hour to send their rivals packing in another one-sided affair for the home support to enjoy.
Rafael Nadal's first singles tournament back from injury came to a sudden halt against Slovenia's Martin Klizan, as the Spaniard's service abandoned him in the second set.
Nadal faced a staggering 14 break points against the 25-year-old qualifier, who took tremendous risks in his return. Klizan's raw power greatly troubled the second seed, and a lack of match rhythm was clearly visible in Nadal's play.
Klizan has several impressive wins against top 20 opponents this season but has lacked the consistency to make a run on the rankings. Playing carefree, attacking tennis since the end of the qualifiers, his power will make life difficult on Berdych, his opponent in the semi-finals.
Fans shouldn't be surprised Nadal's return to the court wasn't flawless, and physically, the Spanish star looked fine throughout the tournament. With more matches, his proficiency on the second serve will undoubtedly return.
Oct. 2: Nadal Sails Through, Murray Also Reaches Quarterfinals
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Oct. 2 Results
Men's Second Round
[2] Rafael Nadal defeats Peter Gojowczyk 6-3, 6-4
[3] Thomas Berdych defeats Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-4
[5] Grigor Dimitrov defeats Pablo Andujar 6-4, 6-4
M Klizan defeats Ernests Gulbis [7] 6-2, 3-0 ret.
[6] Andy Murray defeats Pablo Cuevas 6-2 6-2
[4] Marin Cilic defeats Joao Sousa 6-3 6-3
Women's Third Round
[2] Simona Halep defeats Andrea Petkovic 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-6(1)
Svetlana Kuznetsova defeats Angelique Kerber [7] 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
Ana Ivanovic defeats Sabine Lisicki 6-3, 7-5
Sam Stosur defeats Alize Cornet 6-4, 6-2
Roberta Vinci defeats [12] Ekaterina Makarova 6-1, 0-6, 7-5
[3] Petra Kvitova defeats [16] Venus Williams walkover
Rafael Nadal came through his second match following a 13-week absence with a comfortable victory on Thursday, beating Pole Peter Gojowczyk 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 45 minutes.
The 29-year-old Spaniard, a former winner at the event, passed up nine of 11 break point opportunities earned on the day according to BBC Sport, but still came through the clash with relative ease.
The former world No. 1 will now face unexpected quarter-finalist Martin Klizan of Slovakia, who overcame seventh seed Ernests Gulbis following a retirement when already a set and a break to the good.
Chasing a place at the ATP Tour Finals, sixth seed Andy Murray barely broke a sweat in overcoming Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas 6-2 6-2 in the evening.
The Scot converted five of 10 break point opportunities to coast clear of his opponent, while offering up just one break himself.
Murray had played the world No. 35 just once before, winning comfortably on that occasion also. The Argentine on this occasion was unable to cope with the quality of the Scot’s return, with Murray winning 54 percent of points on the Cuevas serve.
In the quarterfinal, he will now face US Open winner Marin Cilic who comfortably overcame Portuguese Joao Sousa in the final singles match of the day.
Elsewhere, fellow seeds Thomas Berdych and Grigor Dimitrov had few problems booking themselves places in the last-eight, earning comfortable victories over Viktor Troicki and Pablo Andujar respectively.
Berdych moves up to seventh in the race to the ATP Tour Finals with his success and now faces American John Isner in the next round, a man he has beaten in Miami and at Roland Garros already this tour season per ATPWorldTour.com.
Dimitrov, meanwhile, faces the far sterner test of top seed Novak Djokovic.
In the women's draw, the big news came earlier in the day with the withdrawal of Venus Williams due to a "viral illness." As reported by ESPN.co.uk, Williams withdrew shortly before her clash with third seed Petra Kvitova.
There were wins also for Ana Ivanovic, who beat Sabine Lisicki in straight sets, and Sam Stosur who made light work of disposing of Alize Cornet 6-4, 6-2.
The match of the day, though, was a gargantuan tussle between second seed Simona Halep and Andrea Petkovic in which the Romanian eventually emerged victorious 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-6(1).
Both players struggled to hold serve, both breaking three times apiece in the final set alone, with two tie-breakers required over the three sets to separate the pair. Halep eventually found some rhythm in the third set breaker, which she won 7-1, to come through after a major scare.
Oct. 1: Novak Djokovic Battles Beyond the Testing Vasek Pospisil
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Oct. 1 Results
Men's Second Round
[1] Novak Djokovic defeats Vasek Pospisil: 6-3, 7-5.
[8] John Isner defeats Tommy Robredo: 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4).
Women's Second Round
Samantha Stosur defeats [6] Caroline Wozniacki: 6-4, 7-6(9).
[3] Petra Kvitova defeats Shuai Peng: 6-4, 6-2.
Alize Cornet defeats Lauren Davis: 6-2, 6-1.
[4] Maria Sharapova defeats Carla Suarez Navarro: 6-1, 7-6(3).
Novak Djokovic maintained his unbeaten record at the China Open with a hard-fought victory over Vasek Pospisil on Wednesday, stretching his record to 21-0 at the Asian tournament, reported by the ATP World Tour's official website.
The prolific Serb battled through Pospisil's powerful serve to take control of the first set. Djokovic converted two of three break points during the opening exchanges, matching his Canadian opposition's three aces blow for blow. The No.1 seed won the first set comfortably in the end, but was made to push hard during the second.
Pospisil fired home an impressive 11 aces after losing the initial set and took advantage of his only break point. He was unable to show such assertiveness on second serves though, and left the Djokovic plenty of opportunities to see the game out. He did so, eventually easing home and avoiding a tiring third set.
The 24-year-old can be pleased with his performance and gave Novak a tougher test than many on Diamond Court.
America's John Isner also booked his place in the last-eight after prevailing in a hard fought three-setter with Spaniard Tommy Robredo.
Isner was undone in the opening set but found his serve to take the second and eventually brought home the win in a third-set tie break.
In the women's draw, Maria Sharapova proved too much for Carla Suarez Navarro. The women's No. 4 seed brushed her opponent aside during the first set, hammering home both break points to enjoy an early lead. Although Sharapova was only able to secure one of nine in the second, she dominated in the tie-break 7-3 to book her place in the next round.
She will be joined by Samantha Stosur, who ended Caroline Wozniacki's hopes of success in an impressive showing against the Danish star. Petra Kvitova and Alize Cornet also progressed, comfortably beating Shuai Peng and Lauren Davis respectively.
All statistics in this article are provided via the China Open's official website.
Sept. 30: Top Seeds Take Care of Business
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Sept. 30 Results
Men's First Round
[1] Novak Djokovic defeats Guillermo Garcia Lopez: 6-2, 6-1
Pablo Andujar defeats Julien Benneteau: 6-4, 6-1
[8] John Isner defeats Santiago Giraldo: 6-1, 6-3
Rommy Robredo defeats Andreas Seppi: 3-6, 7-6, 6-2
[3] Tomas Berdych defeats Feliciano Lopez: 6-1, 6-2
Peter Gojowczyk defeats Ivo Karlovic: 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
[2] Rafael Nadal defeats Richard Gasquet: 6-4, 6-0
[6] Andy Murray defeats Jerzy Janowicz: 6-7, 6-4, 6-2
Women's Second Round
[13] Lucie Safarova defeats Mona Barthel: 6-3, 6-3
[16] Venus Williams defeats Caroline Garcia: 6-4, 6-3
[12] Ekaterina Makarova defeats Polona Hercog: 7-5, 6-0
Roberta Vinci defeats [5] Agnieszka Radwanska: 6-4, 6-4
[7] Angelique Kerber defeats Zarina Diyas: 6-3, 6-1
Svetlana Kuznetsova defeats Kurumi Nara: 6-3, 6-1
Carla Suarez Navarro defeats [14] Flavia Pennetta: 6-1, 3-6, 6-2
[4] Maria Sharapova defeats Elina Svitolina: 6-2, 6-2
Sabine Lisicki defeats [8] Eugenie Bouchard: 6-2, 6-4
[15] Andrea Petkovic defeats Madison Keys: 6-2, 6-3
[2]Simona Halep defeats Lin Zhu: 7-5, 6-4
[Ana Ivanovic defeats Romina Oprandi: 6-4, 6-2
Men's Doubles First Round
Feliciano Lopez & Max Myrni defeat Lukasz Kubot & Robert Lindstedt: 7-6, 7-6
Johan Brunstrom & Nicholas Monroe defeat Marin Cilic & Santiago Gonzalez: 6-3, 6-3
Women's Doubles First Round
Jarmilla Gajdosova & Ajla Tomljanovic defeat [3] Kveta Peschke & Katarina Srebotnik: 6-2, 3-2, 6-3
[5] Andrea Hlavackova & Shuai Peng defeat Chia-Jung Chuang & Olga Govortsova: 6-3, 6-2
Kristina Mladenovic & Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeat Yi-Fan Xu & Jie Zheng: 6-2, 6-0
Nadal Celebrates Return With Victory
Rafael Nadal had little difficulty in his return to singles action following a lengthy absence with a wrist injury, recording a 6-4, 6-0 win over France's Richard Gasquet.
The Spaniard scored an early break to go up 2-1 in the first set and looked as nimble and powerful as ever, particularly impressing with his patented backhand. He looked sharp and aggressive throughout the first set, saving three break points to take the stanza 6-4.
Gasquet imploded in the second set, completing just 35 percent of his first serves as he failed to win a single game. Nadal kept the pace high and finished the job in less than 80 minutes, qualifying for the second round.
Novak Djokovic easily dispatched of Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-1, overcoming a sloppy start that saw him surrender two breaks in the first set. The Serb remains unbeaten at the China Open, improving his record to 20-0.
The Djoker needed just over an hour to defeat his Spanish opponent and will play Vasek Pospisil in the second round. In his post-match presser, he told the media his wife is expected to give birth in about a month, which could make for some scheduling conflicts, via Sports Illustrated Tennis:
"Novak Djokovic says the baby is due in a month, which is around the World Tour Finals. Hasn't affected his scheduling...yet. #atp
— SI Tennis (@SI_Tennis) September 30, 2014"
Andy Murray struggled early against Jerzy Janowicz but found his best tennis midway through the second set, and he'll advance to the second round after a 67- 6-4 6-2 win.
The Scot needs a strong performance at the China Open to have a shot at qualification for the ATP Tour World Finals in London, and after a first set filled with errors, things looked bleak. Down a game deep in the second, Murray suddenly kicked into gear and started hammering his Polish opponent with strong offensive tennis, and he carried that momentum into the third and final set.
In the women's draw, Venus Williams had a slow start in her first-round match against Heather Watson but had no such issues against Caroline Garcia, winning 6-4, 6-3 to move into the third round. The American star hammered home four aces, avenging last week's loss in Wuhan.
Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova both qualified for the next round with relative ease, while Agnieszka Radwanska's recent struggles continued, suffering an upset loss at the hands of Roberta Vinci.
Radwanska committed five double faults and gave up five break points in just two sets, as the No. 5 seed recorded a third loss in her last four matches.
Andy Murray will complete his respective matche later in the day.
Sept. 29: Williams and Cilic Battle Through
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Sept. 29 Results
Men's First Round
[4] Marin Cilic defeats Yan Bai: 6-3, 6-4
Vasek Popisil defeats Lukas Rosol: 6-4, 6-3
Viktor Troicki defeats Mikhail Youzhny: 6-3, 6-4
Joao Sousa defeats Teymuraz Gabashvili: 1-6, 7-6, 6-4
[5] Grigor Dimitrov defeats Fernando Verdasco: 6-1 3-6 6-3
Men's Doubles First Round
Tomas Berdych & John Inser defeat Rafael Nadal & Pablo Andujar: 7-5, 4-6, 10-4
Fabio Fognini & Leonardo Mayer defeat [1] Daniel Nestor & Nenad Zimonjic: 3-6, 6-3, 10-6
Women's Round of 32
[9] Ana Ivanovic defeats Belinda Bencic: 6-2, 6-1
[14] Flavia Pennetta defeats Christina McHale: 7-6(3), 6-4
Caroline Garcia defeats Shuai Zhang: 6-1, 6-4
Shuai Peng defeats Kai-Lin Zhang: 6-4, 6-1
Alize Cornet defeats defeats [10] Jelena Jankovic: 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
Tsvetana Pironkova defeats Maria Kirilenko: 6-4, 6-1
[1] Serena Williams defeats Silvia Soler-Espinosa: 7-5, 6-2
[13] Lucie Safarova defeats Camila Giorgi: 7-6(3), 6-4
Mona Barthel defeats Bethanie Mattek-Sands: 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Lauren Davis defeats Yi-Fan Xu: 6-3, 6-3
Women's Doubles First Round
Mona Barthel & Mandy Minella defeat Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Saisai Zheng: 7-6(7), 6-3
[7] Gabine Muguruza & Carla Suarez Navarro defeat Christina McHale & Chanelle Scheepers: 6-2, 6-2
Simona Halep & Raluca Olaru defeat Oksana Kalashnikova & Klara Koukalova: 6-4, 7-6(4)
Williams and Cilic Battle Through
Serena Williams produced a remarkable turnaround in her match against Silvia Soler-Espinosa at the China Open on Monday to eventually record a comfortable two-set victory in the first round.
The American looked sluggish early in the encounter and was staring a first-set drubbing in the face at 5-0 down. However, the defending Beijing champion then turned on the style to somehow win the set 7-5, and Soler-Espinosa could not come up with a response against the 18-time major winner.
Williams took a more true-to-form second set 6-2 and revealed after the match that the spectre of not winning a game in the opener galvanised her enormously, per The Associated Press, via USA Today:
"I didn't want to lose 6-love. I just started fighting. I was like, just let me at least try to break here."
Recently crowned U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic was the highest-profile player in action in the men's singles on Monday and defeated China's Yan Bai 6-3, 6-4 in his first-round match.
The Croat was playing his first match since claiming his maiden major title earlier this month and it was not a wholly convincing performance. Although he managed to win in straight sets, Cilic was not playing at the level he was in New York but did enough to win comfortably and should improve through the tournament.
Men's fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov managed to beat Fernando Verdasco in three sets to book his place in the next round while Ana Ivanovic was incredibly comfortable in defeating Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in two sets.
Rafael Nadal lost in the first round of the men's doubles competition with partner Pablo Andujar, but the Spaniard will face Richard Gasquet in the singles on Tuesday.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic will also be in action as he gets his campaign going against Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
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