By Tony Fairbairn
- Coco Gauff [2] v Leylah Fernandez [25]
- Karolina Muchova [13] v Paula Badosa [18]
- Jasmine Paolini [6] v Sofia Kenin [27]
BEIJING, CHINA – Coco Gauff will continue her Beijing title defence when she battles Leylah Fernandez for a place in the fourth round.
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Coco Gauff [2] v Leylah Fernandez [25] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Coco Gauff [2] v Leylah Fernandez [25] | H2H: Gauff leads 2-0 |
| WTA Beijing 2025 | Beijing, China |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $60,400 |
| Second on Capital Group Diamond Court (Not before 06:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Since winning the Roland Garros title, it has been disappointment for Coco Gauff as she has failed to meet the expectations place on her shoulders. There have been service jitters, unforced errors and a change in coaching staff as the American desperately tries to figure out some answers before the WTA Finals. Now the second seed will hope that she can defend her Beijing title and gain some momentum in this Asian swing as she doesn’t want to lose too much confidence before next season arrives.
Next up for Gauff in the third round is Leylah Fernandez who earned a very good win over a resurgent Maria Sakkari. It was an impressive display from the world number 25 who only dropped two games and showed the type of form that saw her win the Washington title last month. These performances have been few and far between for the Canadian who is known to be a streaky player and perform on the odd occasion. The former US Open finalist will hope for some consistency to her game as she looks to score another big win in her season.
Gauff will look to be dominant and authoritative on serve using her defensive skills to force errors from Fernandez. Meanwhile, Fernandez will aim to be patient in the rallies and will wait for Gauff to force the issue as the American makes most of her errors when being the aggressor. This will be an interesting contest and Gauff’s experience should get her through this contest against a streaky and unpredictable Fernandez.
Prediction: Gauff in three sets.
Karolina Muchova [13] v Paula Badosa [18] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Karolina Muchova [13] v Paula Badosa [18] | H2H: Badosa leads 2-1 |
| WTA Beijing 2025 | Beijing, China |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $60,400 |
| Fourth on Lotus Court (Not before 10:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
It was another successful US Open for Karolina Muchova as the Czech Republican backed up her semi-final performance from last year to reach the quarter-finals this year. It has been a phenomenal season for Muchova but once again injuries mean that she hasn’t been a constant presence on the tour. A mix of power and variety is dangerous for any opponent and Muchova will be hoping she can play all year round in 2026 as she is more than capable of breaking into the world’s top ten and winning a Grand Slam title.
Speaking of injury troubles, that brings us onto Paula Badosa who’s season has been halted with a back injury. The Spaniard is playing her first WTA tournament since Wimbledon as she was forced to miss the US hard court swing with a back injury and has struggled with the injury for most of the year. It’s been a shame for Badosa as she had such a promising start to the season and will now hope to build momentum towards next season with Australian Open semi-final points to defend.
Muchova will aim to be aggressive on serve, using the slice to force errors from Badosa’s baseline game. Meanwhile, Badosa will aim to take the ball early especially on the backhand and construct effective winners. This should be a competitive match with conditions suiting Badosa’s game more and as long as the Spaniard can last the pace, Badosa should have too much for Muchova.
Prediction: Muchova in three sets.
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Jasmine Paolini [6] v Sofia Kenin [27] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Jasmine Paolini [6] v Sofia Kenin [27] | H2H: Kenin leads 3-0 |
| WTA Beijing 2025 | Beijing, China |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $60,400 |
| Third on Capital Group Diamond (07:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
It has been a mixed season for Jasmine Paolini but the Italian has had plenty of highlights in her turbulent season. One of them is winning the Billie Jean King Cup as well as claiming the WTA 1000 title on home soil in Rome. That has lifted Paolini’s spirits as she will look to end the season with good form and potentially qualifying for the WTA Finals ahead of an exciting 2026 season.
Next up for Paolini is a player she has struggled against often in the form of Sofia Kenin. The American has really struggled with her form since her deep run in Charleston as she has been struggling for form and results. The 26 year-old will need to make some adjustments to her game if she wants consistent success as she targets a fourth consecutive victory over the Italian.
Paolini will aim to be aggressive on serve and will use the forehand to create impressive angles. Meanwhile, Kenin will aim to extend the rallies and use the backhand to impose herself in the rallies. This will be a tight contest with both players tussling against each other in the longer rallies. In the end Paolini should be too strong in the big points in order to prevail and reach the fourth round.
Prediction: Paolini in three sets.
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