The China Open continues this week as Katie Boulter faces Taylor Townsend while Yulia Putintseva goes up against Naomi Osaka in the round of 32. Damien Kayat previews.
2024 WTA Tour – WTA 1000
China Open
China National Tennis Centre
Selected RO 32 matches – 27 September
Katie Boulter 13/10 | Taylor Townsend 58/100
This promises to be an intriguing clash. Brit Katie Boulter has enjoyed a real breakthrough campaign and brings a 27-16 record into this event. She won a maiden WTA 500 event in San Diego and would go on to pick up a second title in Nottingham (in front of her adoring fans).
No one has ever doubted the crispness of Boulter’s groundstrokes. But this season she has added some defensive rigidity and has become harder to grind down.
Having said that, her results have dried up significantly since the end of the grass-court swing. She exited in the third round in Montreal and would fall at the first hurdle in Cincinnati.
She was then bundled out of the US Open by the unfancied Jesscia Bouzas Maneiro. This will be her first outing since New York and she could do with a solid Beijing showing to stabilise her recent form. She seems to have lost a little confidence of late (perhaps a result of the amount of tennis she played in the early part of the campaign).
Taylor Townsend has certainly had an intriguing year. She entered Beijing with a positive 22-19 record for the season. She improved that to 23-19 following a hard-fought first-round victory over Martina Trevisan.
The serve-and-volley specialist has- in complete contrast to Boulter- played her best tennis during the latter portion of the campaign. In fact, the American lefty is 8-4 in singles since the end of Wimbledon (highlighted by an excellent quarterfinal run in Montreal).
And she has achieved this in the midst of incredible doubles form. She won the Wimbledon doubles playing alongside Katerina Siniakova. And she would go on to reach the US Open mixed doubles final playing alongside Donald Young.
Townsend will look to impose herself on Boulter, approaching the net with abandon and putting those volleying skills to use. Her forehand has looked vicious in recent months and it has the ability to dictate the tempo of this match.
The Verdict: Townsend to win in straight sets 5/4
This will be their first career meeting. I think that Townsend brings more positive momentum into this encounter. Her serve-and-volley stylistics make her a tricky opponent and Boulter may find it hard to deal with her (especially in her current downturn in form).
I think that Townsend’s forehand will prove dominant and I can see the American winning in straight sets.
Yulia Putintseva 17/10 | Naomi Osaka 9/20
This has been an interesting comeback season for Yulia Putintseva. The Kazakh brings a commendable 35-19 record into this year’s China Open, winning the Birmingham title and reaching WTA 1000 quarterfinals in Miami and Madrid.
She also reached the 2nd week at SW19 to further underscore her emergence from the tennis doldrums. The dogged competitor has rediscovered the ruthless streak that defined the early part of her career (no doubt partially a result of her teaming with coach Matteo Donati).
But the Kazakh has been known to overstep the mark from time to time and came under intense scrutiny after a surreal exchange with a ball-girl at the US Open. She essentially humiliated the girl in a public way and it hasn’t won her any new fans inside the broader tennis community.
Naomi Osaka hasn’t shone since returning from maternity leave. The four-time Grand Slam champion has shown glimpses of her best self (almost conquering Iga Swiatek in a sensational performance at Roland Garros).
The Japanese star brought a 22-19 record into this week’s China Open. But she looked back to her ruthless best in her opener against Lucia Bronzetti, firing eight aces and winning 79% of her first-serve points in a comfy 6-3,6-2 victory.
One of the most successful hardcourt operators of her era, Osaka actually won the title here back in 2019 (the last renewal before it went away for three years due to the pandemic).
The Verdict: Osaka to win in straight sets 1/1
The Kazakh actually lead Osaka 3-2 in their head-to-head meetings. But they have only met once in the last five years, with Osaka winning when they met at this year’s Billie Jean King Cup. Osaka looked ominous in her victory against Bronzetti and I think she could be a real dark horse this fortnight.
She will look to be the aggressor while Putintseva hustles and counterpunches. I just think that Osaka’s superior power- off both wings- will see her through in straight sets.
