Sunday, September 28, 2025

Wk.40- Zing Went the Strings of Beijing







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*WEEK 40*


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[Beijing Q/1st-3rd Rd. Sunday]


RISERS: Lois Boisson/FRA and Marie Bouzkova/CZE
...Boisson has succeeded almost exclusively on clay in her breakout season, with the Pastry reaching the Roland Garros semis in her slam debut and winning her maiden tour-level title in Hamburg in July. 26-7 on the dirt in '25, she was just 1-3 on hard court ahead of Beijing and her first career appearance in a 1000 event.

But... so far, so good. After opening with a three-hour win over Dalma Galfi, Boisson took out Liudmila Samsonova, getting her first Top 25 victory since posting three during her breakout performance in Paris.



Also in Beijing, Bouzkova is into her first 1000 4th Round since a QF in Cincinnati in 2023. The Czech has posted wins over Tatjana Maria, Magda Linette and Veronika Kudermetova on her way into the second week. She'd been 0-3 this season in 1000/slam 3rd Round matches before Sunday's win over the Russian.



A tour-level title winner this summer in Prague (her first crown in three years), Bouzkova is 18-8 on hard court this season and back in the "live" Top 40.
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SURPRISES: Priscilla Hon/AUS and Ma Ye-xin/CHN
...in what has become the 27-year old Aussie's best season as a pro, Hon took a pair of $75K titles early in the year. But it's been over the last three months where she's made an even more significant move on the court. She qualified for her first Wimbledon MD, then after another qualifying run in New York reached her maiden 3rd Round in a major.

This week in Beijing, Hon posted her first career 1000 win in the 1st Round over Viktorija Golubic, overcoming a 4-1 3rd set TB deficit, then unceremoniously dumped out Alona Ostapenko by a 6-3/6-2 score in the next round, securing what will be her Top 100 debut at the close of the event.


Hon led Belinda Bencic by a set and 3-1 in their 3rd Round match-up on Sunday, but the Swiss veteran rallied for the three-set win.

Meanwhile, in the Jingshan 125, Ma put together the best run of her career.

Ranked #234, the 26-year old's biggest career final had come in a $60K challenger more than two years ago. Though she reached a pair of $35K finals this spring, going 1-1 (w/ a loss in the second to Janice Tjen), Ma's trip to the final was the most un expected result of the week. Her stretch included victories over Jodie Burrage and Talia Gibson, with the latter seeing her rally from a set down and then 5-1 in the 3rd vs. the Aussie.



Ma fell to Lulu Sun in the final in straight sets, but will edge close to a return to the Top 200 (CH #177 in May '24) in the "live" rankings (around #206).
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COMEBACKS: Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR and Lulu Sun/NZL
...a former Top 30 player, Sasnovich qualified to reach her first China Open MD since 2019. Without a 1000-level MD win since her 3rd Round result in Rome two years ago, the Belarussian (now ranked #130) knocked off '25 revelation Janice Tjen from a set down in her opener, then did the same against U.S. Open semifinalist Naomi Osaka to reach the 3rd Round stage in a 1000 for just the second time since a Miami 4th Round finish in 2022.



Additionally, it wasn't much more than a year ago when Sun put on a shocking QF run at Wimbledon. Aside from her first tour-level final in August of '24 in Monterrey, much of the New Zealander's efforts have been disapointing ever since.

After rising into the Top 40 last season, she lost her first four matches of '25, and started 1-8. After an 8-3 grass season in '24, she was 2-4 in '25 and exited SW19 in the 1st Round. In her return to Monterrey, she had to qualify just to reach the MD, then lost in the 1st Round to Linda Noskova, the very same player she'd lost to in the *final* a year earlier. This week, Sun came into the 125 in Jingshan ranked #145 and with a 17-23 mark on the year (w/ four of those wins coming in low-level Cup action vs. far, far lower-ranked competition).

But it was now when Sun did finally rise again.

After early Jingshen wins over Tyra Grant and Elena Pridankina en route to the SF, the 24-year old upset top seed Alex Eala to reach her first final on any level since Monterrey last summer. A 6-4/6-2 win over Ma Ye-xin gave the Kiwi her biggest career title.


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FRESH FACES: Ella Seidel/GER and Eva Lys/GER
...after seeing German hopes buoyed almost exclusively by veterans in recent seasons, both Seidel and Lys have proven to be breakout performers in 2025.

Already with a Cincinnati 4th Round result under her belt this summer, and arriving off a QF finish in Seoul (as a qualifier) that earned her her first Top 100 ranking, 20-year old Seidel qualifed again in Beijing with wins over Jessika Ponchet and two-time '25 WTA finalist (Merida and Guadalajara) Emiliano Arango. She added a MD win over Magadalena Frech before falling to Marta Kostyuk.



Meanwhile, 2025 has been a year of firsts for Lys, as this season the 23-year old has posted her maiden slam 4th Round result (AO), reached her first tour-level QF (Cleveland), and cracked the Top 100.

In the first week in Beijing, Lys has been at it again. She outlasted Guadalajara champ Iva Jovic despite trailing 5-2 in the 3rd set, then followed that up by outdueling Elena Rybakina in a three-set affair that produced her first career Top 10 (and Top 20) victory *and* her first 4th Round in a 1000 event.



Just around the corner for Lys: her first Top 50 ranking (w/ one more win).
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ITF PLAYERS: Nao Hibino/JPN and Simona Waltert/SUI
...there were a pair of $100K winners across the globe this weekend.

30-year old Hibino, a three-time tour champion, claimed her biggest career ITF challenger crown with a 7-5/7-6 victory in the $100K Incheon, South Korea final over Korean Lee Eun-hye.

In Lisbon, it was Swiss Waltert, 24, who took the honors with a 2 & 1 win in the final against Latvia's Darja Semenistaja (who'd been 15-2 in career ITF finals). For Waltert, a 125 finalist in Ljubljana earlier this month (a loss to Kaja Juvan), it's her biggest career title.


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JUNIOR STAR: Ksenia Efremova/FRA
...two years since officially beginning to represent France, after arriving from Russia in 2019 and training at the Mouratoglou Academy, the now 16-year old Efremova has claimed her biggest career junior crown and will jump into the girls' Top 10.

Junior #15 Efremova won the J500 crown in Osaka without dropping a set, losing just 17 total games over six matches, with a 6-1/6-2 win in the final over Hordette Anna Pushkareva. She also picked up the doubles title alongside Kristina Penickova, defeating Aussie sisters Renee & Rianna Alame in a 10-6 MTB in the final.

Efremova won a pair of J300 crowns earlier this season, including in Repentigny ahead of the U.S. Open, where she reached the QF (a loss to eventual champ Jeline Vandromme).


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WHEELCHAIR: Diede de Groot/NED
...the comeback continues, and the wins are becoming more and more common.

In Sardinia, the #6-seeded (!!!) de Groot took the Series 1 crown without dropping a set, knocking off the #2 (Angelica Bernal), #4 (Lizzy de Greef) and #5 (Jiske Griffioen) seeds en route to her fourth title of the season. She's gone 11-1 in her last twelve matches, picking up three titles during the stretch and putting away all eleven wins in straight sets (her lone loss came in a three-setter vs. Yui Kamiji at the U.S. Open).

In the doubles, NextGen Dutch duo Jinte Bos & Lizzy de Greef took the honors.
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[Beijing Q/1st-3rd Rd. Sunday]


1. Beijing 1st Rd. - Maria Sakkari def. Ashlyn Krueger
...7-6(5)/6-7(5)/7-5. In a three and a half hour, not always pretty, struggle, Sakkari is the last woman standing.

The Greek lost a 5-2 lead in the opener, and wasn't able to convert on three SP chances on serve in game 8, nor serve out the set at 5-4 soon afteward. Still, she took a 7-5 breaker.

In the 2nd, Krueger followed the same pattern, letting go a 4-2 scoreboard edge, failing to convert a pair of BP/SP at 6-5, but winning a second 7-5 TB to send things to the 3rd. There, again, Krueger led 4-2, only to drop her last three serve games and see Sakkari serve out the match at 7-5.


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2. Beijing 1st Rd. - Priscilla Hon def. Viktorija Golubic
...1-6/6-3/7-6(4). Hon notches her maiden career 1000 MD win, surviving a six-straight-breaks stretch from games #3-8 in the 3rd, then rallying from 4-1 down in the deciding tie-break, running off the final six points of the match to advance.


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3. Beijing 2nd Rd. - Eva Lys def. Iva Jovic
...6-3/3-6/7-5. In the Eva vs. Iva clash, Lys prevails.

Lys lost a 6-3/3-1 lead, as Jovic won ten of the next twelve games to lead 5-2 in the 3rd. The Guadalajara 500 champ served for the win at 5-3, but saw the German surge last by sweeping the final five games of the day to get the victory.


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4. Beijing 1st Rd. - Camila Osorio def. Ann Li
...7-5/6-7(5)/7-5. Osorio rallied from 5-3 down, with Li serving and holding a SP at 5-4, to take the 1st. Li forced a decider by claiming the no-breaks 2nd.

After Osorio failed to serve things out at 5-4, the Colombian rebounded to get her break advantage back in the next game. Saving a BP in game 12, Osorio served out the win.
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5. Beijing 3rd Rd. - Eva Lys def. Elena Rybakina
...6-3/1-6/6-4. Another spot where Rybakina stumbles in a big event (she didn't reach a major QF this year for the first time since 2020, and squandered big leads or MP in a number of late round match-ups), as well as another one where Lys puts up a good big-stage result, as the German picks up her maiden career Top 10 win *and* does so while also reaching her first 1000 4th Round.



Meanwile, Rybakina's loss may have opened the door for Jasmine Paolini to put on a true challenge to the Kazakh for the eighth and final spot in the WTAF field.



Hmmm, maybe it means, "I'm on Elena's heels" in Chinese? With the Italian's advancement into the second week, she's just 160 points behind Rybakina for the final WTAF spot.
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6. Jingshan 125 1st Rd. - Lulu Sun def. Tyra Grant
...6-3/6-2. If you looked closely at the post-BJK Cup final photos/video last weekend, you might have recognized 17-year old Tyra Grant celebrating with her new Italian teammates after the win over the U.S.. The moment came just four months after she made her debut under the ITA flag after previously representing the United States, for which she won the *Junior* BJK Cup title just last year.

How do you say "chef's kiss" in Italian?

Grant never saw the court in Shenzhen, but was back at it this week in a 125 in Jingshan. It didn't go nearly as well, but her trip to China has already been one where she's picked up valuable experience (even if it was from the sideline... for now).
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7. Jingshan 125 SF - Ma Ye-xin def. Talia Gibson
...4-6/7-5/7-5. Ma plays into her biggest career final, rallying from 5-1 down in the 3rd vs. Gibson, who twice served for the win.
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8. Beijing 1st Rd. - Anna Bondar def. Bianca Andreescu
...6-4/7-5(4). Andreescu makes her first appearance since turning her ankle on MP in Montreal (vs. Krejcikova), then withdrawing before her next match. Qualifier Bondar's win drops the #181-ranked Canadian to 9-9 on the season. She's 35-35 over the last three seasons combined.
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9. Beijing 1st Rd. - Katie Volynets def. Peyton Stearns
...6-4/2-6/6-3. Stearns finally got her three-set numbers turned around a few months ago, winning five straight matches that went the distance. But this loss to Volynets is now her fourth straight loss in a three-setter.

She's 19-21 overall on the year.
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10. Beijing 2nd Rd. - Zheng Qinwen def. Emiliana Arango
...6-3/6-2. Back home in China, Zheng makes her first appearance since her 1st Round loss at Wimbledon, recording her first match win since June 13. She's missed almost three months due to elbow surgery.


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11. Beijing 2nd Rd. - Maya Joint def. Diana Shnaider
...7-5/6-1. Shnaider's loss drops her to 1-3 since her Monterrey title run in the early stages of her coaching teaming with Sascha Bajin.
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12. Beijing 3rd Rd. - McCartney Kessler def. Barbora Krejcikova
...1-6/7-5/3-0 ret. Who knows what (more) Krejcikova could accomplish if her body would cooperate. Unfortunately, it rarely does for long.

After missing time with an early-season back injury, the Czech has at times surged back with a vengeance in recent weeks as her game has rounded back into shape. After wins over Anna Blinkova and Ekaterina Alexandrova in Beijing, she'd gone 11-3 in her last fourteen matches, and 15-5 in her last twenty. But in just the third *point* of her 3rd Rounder vs. Kessler, Krejcikova felt something in her left knee/leg and was soon being taped up by a physio.

The Czech still managed to go on to lead 6-1/4-2 before her lack of movement and worsening injury finally caused the winning rallies and games to dwindle, and for her to eventually pull the ripcord down 0-3 in the 3rd.

Even worse, the injury precipitated the withdrawal from doubles of Krejcikova & Siniakova, who'd been set to team up for a *second* straight event after winning the title in Seoul.
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13. Beijing 3rd Rd. - Karolina Muchova def. Paula Badosa
...4-2 ret. Did someone say something about if a player's body would only allow them to be successful? And in a rare instance, it's still another reference that does not point to *Muchova*.
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14. Beijing 2nd Rd. - Sonay Kartal def. Dasha Kasatkina
...6-3/6-0. Kasatkina's woeful non-slam season continues, as she puts up her eleventh one-and-done result of the year. She went 10-4 in majors in 2025, but has gone 9-18 everywhere else.

19-22 on the season, the Aussie has (so far) suffered just one sub-.500 year in her career (2019). She needs one deep run in the closing weeks of '25.
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15. $50K Pazardzhik BUL Final - Laura Samson def. Andrea Lazaro Garcia
...6-2/6-3. Another week, another Crusher champion.

17-year old Samson improves to 5-1 in career challenger finals with a straight sets win over the Spaniard.


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Mattel and Barbie are honoring seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams as the newest Inspiring Women doll, available now at both Walmart and Amazon.

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— The Hollywood Reporter (@thr.com) September 23, 2025 at 4:00 AM






This is really cute...













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This is so true!!

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— Jon Cooper (@joncooper-us.bsky.social) September 20, 2025 at 5:04 PM


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Semi-regular reminder that a sane country would have already impeached and removed. But then again a sane country wouldn’t have elected a maniac criminal twice in the first place.

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— hopelaughlove.bsky.social (@hopelaughlove.bsky.social) September 24, 2025 at 8:43 PM

Treat the homeless harshly. Mock and insult the disabled. Consider religions like Islam a threat. Mock and insult people over their weight (except fearless leader). Be offended by flags that are foreign to you. Foreign words and accents can be considered a threat.

— carelesswhisperer.bsky.social (@carelesswhisperer.bsky.social) September 24, 2025 at 9:43 PM


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All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 5:40 PM 

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