Kateřina Siniaková partnered with local player Shuai Zhang at the China Open in Beijing to defeat Shuao Feng and Yue Yuan 6:1, 7:6 in the opening round of the WTA 1000 women’s doubles tournament, according to the sources.
Opening Round Dominance Over Wildcard Entrants
The pairing of Siniaková and Zhang opened their campaign against wildcard entries Feng and Yuan on the hard courts of Beijing. The experienced duo seized control early, breaking their opponents’ serve twice in succession to race out to a 5:0 lead. While they fell short of handing the Chinese pair a bagel set, Siniaková and Zhang conceded no further complications to take the opening frame 6:1.
Zhang Secures Break to Force Second Set Tiebreak
The second set proved far more demanding for the reigning US Open champions. Feng and Yuan battled back to level the score at 5:5, earning the top seeds a stern test as the set drifted toward a crucial juncture. Siniaková and Zhang carved out three consecutive break points; after the first two were erased by a winning lob and an unreturnable volley respectively, Zhang attacked a net return directly at her opponent to snatch the decisive break. Siniaková failed to serve out the match immediately, surrendering a match point built on an ace as the Chinese pair forced a tiebreak. In the ensuing breaker, Siniaková and Zhang established a 2:0 advantage and weathered a brief rally before closing out the contest on Zhang’s serve to secure the straight-sets victory.
Managing the Draw Without Townsend
Siniaková is competing in Beijing without her regular doubles partner, Taylor Townsend, who underwent emergency abdominal surgery in Guadalajara following sudden sharp pains reported before her scheduled round-of-16 match, the sources noted. Townsend currently holds 9,545 ranking points in second place behind Siniaková’s 11,350, creating a paradoxical scenario where the Czech player’s primary rival for the year-end ranking is her regular partner. Siniaková and Townsend secured their place at the WTA Finals in Riyadh by virtue of 8,370 points and their September US Open victory, which completed a career Grand Slam together following prior titles at Wimbledon 2024, the Australian Open 2025, and Roland Garros 2026. Townsend has begun rehabilitation and light running two weeks post-surgery with the aim of returning for the season-ending championships in November, according to the sources.
All-Czech Clash in the Round of Sixteen
Following their opening victory, Siniaková and Zhang advanced to face the newly formed partnership of Nikola Bartůňková and Poland’s Maja Chwaliňská, the sources reported. The sources confirmed that Siniaková and Zhang swept past Bartůňková and Chwaliňská 6:2, 6:1 in just one hour on Wednesday to book their spot in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event.
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