WTA: Beijing: Julia Görges fights in round two

Julia Görges is the first German player to enter the second round of the Premier Mandatory tournament in Beijing.

After 2:12 hours the tenth seeded Görges used her first match point in the National Tennis Stadium to 6:2, 4:6, 6:3 against the Brit Johanna Konta. The German Wimbledon semi-finalist was awarded twelve aces on the Centre Court. When the first serve came, she scored 75 percent of the time.

After a sovereign first set with ten winners and seven Unforced Errors, Görges lost her service for the first time in the fifth game of the second run. She was able to strike back and equal the score after a 4-4 break, but Konta (WTA 43) was the more consistent player in the next two games.

The preliminary decision in set three of the Night Session was made when Görges lurked for her chance with a 4:3 lead in the back and used her third break point in the eighth game. A little later she waved into the wide round after the hard-fought but ultimately deserved victory.

Görges, who had never made it past the Round of 16 in China’s capital, could thus face her long-time Fed Cup colleague Andrea Petkovic in her next match. The Darmstadt player had survived the last qualifying round in Beijing on Saturday with a 4:6, 6:1, 6:4 against Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spain) and will meet the Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko in the main round on Sunday. Failed in the qualification was Tatjana Maria, who lost to Ons Jabeur from Tunisia with 4:6, 1:6.

Wimbledon winner Angelique Kerber, seeded third at the China Open, will play her opening round against Kristina Maldenovic (France) on Sunday. Laura Siegemund will first have to deal with the Russian Daria Kasatkina (No. 13) at the 8.285 million euro event.

Petra Kvitova, fifth in the world rankings, has already been eliminated. The Czech left-hander had to admit defeat in her first match against the Australian Daria Gavrilova with 2:6, 1:6. Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (No. 6) also experienced a nasty surprise despite a dream start at 6:0, 4:6, 6:7 (4:7) against Aleksandra Krunic (Serbia). Both Kvitova and Svitolina had lost early the week before in Wuhan.

Here is the single tableau in Beijing