The China Open continues this week as Amanda Anisimova faces Camila Osorio while Lulu Sun goes up against Ashlyn Krueger in the round of 64. Damien Kayat previews.
2024 WTA Tour – WTA 1000
China Open
China National Tennis Centre
Selected RO 64 matches – 27 September
Amanda Anisimova 46/100 | Camila Osorio 33/20
This has been a schizophrenic comeback season for American Amanda Anisimova. The 23-year-old missed much of last season, deciding to take some time away from the court to focus on her mental health. And she came back with a vengeance at the start of the campaign, reaching the fourth round of the Aussie Open.
She missed the first four WTA 1000 events of the year and didn’t win a match in either Madrid or Rome. But she then showed her quality by reaching the biggest final of her career in Toronto (she would lose to an in-from Jessica Pegula in three sets).
Things just haven’t worked out since that wonderful WTA 1000 showing in Canada. She pulled out of Cincinnati in the following event and was eliminated by Qinwen Zheng in the first round of the US Open (which was admittedly a tough draw).
She competed in Korea last week but was forced to withdraw from his match against Tomova due to injury. How will her body hold up on these demanding Beijing surfaces?
22-year-old Colombian Camila Osorio has enjoyed a rather erratic campaign. Osorio did pick up her second WTA title at the Copa Colsanitas. But she was inconsistent on either side of that and her season seemed to be headed to obscurity. But she suddenly showed some hardcourt life at the recent Guadalajara Open Akron, reaching a WTA 500 semifinal for the first time in her career.
Nominally considered something of a clay-court specialist, the Colombian did win the US Open title as a junior. She is a nuggety player who tends to play quite defensive tennis, moving brilliantly and looking to grind her opponents down.
That is exactly what she did in her opening victory against Ajla Tomljanovic, coming back from a one-set deficit to wear down the bigger-hitting Aussie. Osorio is your prototypical clay-court hustler and will look to extend rallies as much as possible, looking to exploit the physical fragility of Anisimova.
The Verdict: Anisimova to win in three sets 31/10
Anisimova leads the head-to-head 1-0, beating the Colombian in three sets at the 2019 Copa Colsanitas (a tournament that Osorio would later dominate). This could be a stern test for Anisimova.
Osorio is a nightmare opponent for a player looking to conserve their physical energy. Osorio will use her supreme athleticism to hunt down lost causes. However, Anisimova’s superior power on both wings should see her prevail in three.
Lulu Sun 29/20 | Ashlyn Krueger 52/100
Hard-hitting New Zealander Lulu Son will be looking for a strong finish to what has been a true breakout campaign. The 23-year-old has proved to be a pioneer for New Zealand tennis this season, reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon to become the first Kiwi woman to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal in the Open Era.
The former NCAA champion also went on to reach her maiden tour-level final at the Monterrey Open (which had been recently elevated to WTA 500 status). She would go on to lose to Linda Noskova in the final, but the performance helped her edge her way towards the top 40 (which she would enter a few weeks later).
Sun has improved her fitness immeasurably this season and her non-stop aggression has proven tough for players to handle. She also loves to slice and volley, constantly keeping her opponents on their toes.
2023 Japan Open champ Ashlyn Krueger hasn’t been able to match that breakthrough triumph during this calendar year. The big-hitting American has shown significant signs of improvement since the tour switched to the North American hardcourt circuit.
She hustled her way through qualifying in Toronto and Cincinnati, losing to Jessica Pegula and Diana Shnaider in the 3rd and 2nd rounds respectively. She then produced a potentially career-altering run at Flushing Meadows, winning her first-ever Grand Slam match en route to a 3rd round finish.
She was actually bagled in the first set of her first-round match against Shuai Zhang but showed remarkable gumption to come back and win that match. She then upset teenage prodigy Mirra Andreeva before succumbing to Liudmila Samsonoa in the final 32.
She managed to claw her past Wang in her opener, leaning heavily on that imperious serve (she won 76% of her first-serve points). Kruger will look to serve well, positioning herself to dictate the match with that smooth forehand.
The Verdict: Sun to win in straight sets 31/10
This will be their first career meeting. I think that Lulu Sun is being undervalued here. She retired injured in her first-round US Open tie, but her form was really impressive prior to that.
Her awkward lefty serve makes her a tough proposition for first-time opponents and Krueger could struggle to read it.
