The China Open threw a massive curveball this weekend, knocking out the top two seeds in less than a day. But the young guns stood firm. Linda Noskova showed no mercy, dismantling Viktorija Golubic in just fifty-five minutes with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 scoreline. Her serve was practically untouchable, landing seventy-seven percent of first serves and conceding only five points behind it. Even when she faced triple break point to start the second set, she showed ice in her veins, ripping three unreturned serves and two clean winners to escape and take control.
Mirra Andreeva faced a tougher test against the aggressive Polina Kudermetova. Down 4-2 in the first set, the young champion dug deep. She tightened her baseline play, dropping her unforced errors from twelve in the first set to just six in the second. Andreeva saved all five break points she faced, sealing the 6-4, 6-1 win in sixty-eight minutes. Kudermetova couldn’t keep up with the pressure, racking up forty-eight unforced errors.
Both players proved they can win in completely different ways, showing great composure under the Beijing spotlight. Noskova will next face Ekaterina Alexandrova, who staged a dramatic comeback to beat Diana Shnaider. Andreeva, meanwhile, is set to meet Daria Snigur, who crushed Taylah Preston in a brutal forty-seven minute display.
