Tatjana Maria confidently made it into the quarter-finals of the tournament in Guangzhou during the comeback of the WTA tour in China.
The 36-year-old from Bad Saulgau had no trouble with local hero Bai Zhuoxuan in the round of 16 and won 6:1, 6:2 in 66 minutes. In the fight for the semi-finals, Maria, who is in third place, will face Yulia Putinseva (Kazakhstan).
Maria was the only German player to reach the round of 16 in Guangzhou, where the first of seven WTA tournaments is taking place in China this year. Jule Niemeier (Dortmund), Tamara Korpatsch (Hamburg) and Anna-Lena Friedsam (Neuwied) all failed in the first round.
The WTA withdrew from China in protest against the treatment of former tennis player Peng Shuai, who largely disappeared from the public after allegations of abuse against a high-ranking politician in November 2021. In April, the players’ organization lifted their ban.
Things continue in China next week in Ningbo, followed by one of the biggest tournaments this fall in Beijing.