Naomi Osaka will face Canadian, Bianca Andreescu in the quarter-finals of the China Open this Friday in Beijing’s National Tennis Centre.
This will be the first meeting of the two rising stars of women’s tennis as they both battle it out to claim the last WTA title of 2019.
Andreescu is in top form with a 17-match winning streak having beaten top players such as Kiki Bertens and Karolina Pliskova. Her win at the US Open last month saw her beat tennis royalty and 23-time Grand Slam Champion, Serena Williams which saw the 19-year-old gain a career-high ranking of World Number 5.
Osaka had an incredible start the season with a win in the Australian Open in January which took her ranking to World Number 1. However, the Japanese-born 21-year-old could not maintain her winning ways and was knocked out early in the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open. She then withdrew from the semi-final of the Stuttgart Open with an abdominal injury.
Now fighting fit, Osaka who has previously spoken out about her doubts as a player stating, “Oh I guess I have to do more, to be better” will be out to prove herself in the match of the young guns of tennis.
Media outlets and fans are already labelling the two as the next big rivalry in women’s tennis due to their remarkable sporting achievements so early on in their career with Osaka becoming the first player from Japan to claim a Grand Slam singles title, while Andreescu claimed the first major singles title for a Canadian. The match will be all to play for as both players will be vying for a spot in the semi-final to end their season on a high.
Advancing to the semi-final will see Osaka or Andreescu take on either Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki or Russian-born, Daria Kasatkina.
Teshani's Sports Corner 