Beijing (AFP) - Olympic champion Geng Chenwen rebuked unruly fans in Beijing on Saturday, before her opponent, Anna Kalinskaya, withdrew due to injury, giving the Chinese player a 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 3-0 victory.
Published on: 03/10/2026 - 09:14 Last updated: 03/10/2026 - 15:48
Strong winds and a noisy crowd caused tense exchanges on the cold main stadium in Beijing, prompting the match referee to intervene to warn those present not to move in the stands during the game.
During a tense first-set tiebreak, Jeng, who is hugely popular in her country, was twice heard telling spectators: "Stop yelling" as she prepared to serve.
“I think the first set in particular was very difficult,” Jing told the crowd during an on-court interview after the match, which lasted two hours and 22 minutes.
The 23-year-old added, “Actually, seeing some movement in the stands made my feelings very unstable.”
But she admitted, "It's my problem, it's my problem," vowing to adapt to the situation.
Chants of encouragement for Jung echoed throughout the stadium, which was rocked by the wind before most points, while fans sometimes asked each other to remain calm.
After equalizing the score in the second set, the world number 54 got her chance when Russian Kalinskaya withdrew due to injury after trailing by three games in the third set.
In the third round, Geng will play with the winner from the Czech Republic Marie Bouzkova or the Australian Kimberly Birrell, ranked 582 in the world.
Gove passes the tough test
Earlier, Coco Gauff maintained her calm to beat Camila Osorio 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-2, overcoming serve problems to book her place in the second round.
The Colombian, ranked 66th in the world, put up a strong resistance after committing a double fault in the tiebreak of the first set to lose, but she needed to take medication to overcome back pain.
Osorio saved two points to decide the match, but Gauff, ranked fourth in the world, showed great solidity, saving long exchanges thanks to her strong backhand strikes and cross responses.
The 22-year-old American said after the match, which lasted two hours and 18 minutes: “It was a difficult match, and it was not the cleanest (technically).”
“I'm just happy with the way I was able to regain my focus,” she added.
She will play with the young Chinese woman, Sun Xinran, who won in two sets over the Spanish Cristina Buxa.
Later on Saturday, world number one Elena Rybakina is scheduled to face Armenian world number 118 Alina Charaeva in the evening session.
Zverev * Djokovic
In the men's competition (500 points category), German Alexander Zverev, the strongest man in tennis this season, will face veteran Serbian star Novak Djokovic, in the quarter-finals, after he easily defeated Chinese Shang Junzheng, ranked 250 in the world, in the second round.
The German, ranked second in the world and first in the tournament, and this year the winner of his first two Grand Slam titles (Roland Garros and the US Open), showed clear superiority over Junzheng, who participated on an invitation card from the organizers, defeating him in less than an hour with a crushing score of 6-0 and 6-3.
Djokovic, currently ranked 11th in the world, struggled on Friday to overcome Chinese Bo Yunchaoket (104th in the world) with a score of 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2.
The 39-year-old Serbian is playing his first tournament since his first-round exit at the US Open, and he returned to competitions in the Chinese capital while still undefeated in the Beijing tournament, in which he won the title six times in six appearances (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015).
This will be the fifteenth confrontation between Djokovic and Zverev since 2017, and the Serbian has the advantage with nine wins to five.
Their last meeting dates back to June 2025 in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros, when Djokovic won in four sets.
Australian Alex de Minaur and Russian Andrey Rublev also needed three sets to qualify, and they will meet in the quarter-finals.
© 2026 AFP
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