Qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich staged a remarkable comeback at the China Open, overcoming a set and a break deficit to stun No. 12 seed and 2019 champion Naomi Osaka 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a match lasting one hour and 56 minutes.
The victory defied all expectations, as Osaka entered the contest in strong form and held an undefeated 4-0 record against Sasnovich, including a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory at the 2018 US Open. In contrast, the 31-year-old Sasnovich, a former World No. 29, had seen her ranking fall to No. 130 after securing just five tour-level wins this year.
Initially, the match appeared to be following the expected script. Osaka stormed through the first set, capitalizing on Sasnovich’s struggling serve, and confidently closed it out 6-1. The turning point came with Osaka leading 3-2 in the second set. Sasnovich engineered a crucial break of serve, sparking an immediate shift in momentum. She began to attack the net and unleashed a flurry of winners, while Osaka’s game unraveled, marked by a rising unforced error count.
Winning 10 of the final 13 games, Sasnovich dominated the third set. After hitting only six winners in the opener, she fired 21 across the next two sets, while Osaka’s unforced errors climbed from eight in the first set to 33 in the remainder of the match. Despite a brief wobble while serving for the win, she sealed the upset with a well-placed drop shot and a precise backhand winner.
“Honestly, I didn’t believe ’til the end that I can beat Naomi, because she’s a great player,” Sasnovich admitted in her on-court interview. The victory marks her 24th career win over a Top 20 opponent but her first in 16 months.
Having now secured back-to-back tour-level wins for the first time since February, Sasnovich advances to face No. 23 seed Marta Kostyuk. Kostyuk booked her spot in the next round with a commanding 6-1, 6-1 victory over qualifier Ella Seidel.
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