The favorites of the WTA 500 in Zhengzhou did not have a good day at the office. On one hand, Maria Sakkari (ranked 6th in the WTA) faced a rising player who also has the hometown advantage this week: Zheng Qinwen. On the other hand, Caroline Garcia (10th) started the match with an advantage but Jasmine Paolini took the victory away from her.
The 28-year-old Greek, who was ranked 3rd in the world last season and has won twice on the women's tour, arrived in Zhengzhou with a record of 38 wins and 21 losses in 2023, with the highlight being her triumph at the WTA 1000 in Guadalajara.
In her return to the Asian tour, she reached the semifinals in Tokyo and the quarterfinals in Beijing, but stumbled in the opening match of this week's event. She lost to local player Zheng Qinwen, a rising figure in Chinese tennis, 7-6 (2) and 6-3 after one hour and 49 minutes of play.
The Frenchwoman, seeded 6th in the WTA 500 in China, arrived there with 39 wins and 24 losses this season, with highlights including finals appearances in the Lyon and Monterrey 250s.
In her opening match in Zhengzhou, she had a solid start, even had four match points, but it was Jasmine Paolini who ended up celebrating a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory after two hours and seventeen minutes on the court.
Ons Jabeur (7th), the top seed this week, will begin her journey against Italian player Lucia Bronzetti in the round of 16. All the action from the Zhengzhou WTA 500, exclusively on STAR+.