Sasnovich books main draw spot at China Open

Belarusian tennis player Aliaksandra Sasnovich has reached the main draw of the $9.4 million WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing, BelTA has learned.

The Belarusian spent 90 minutes on court to beat American Varvara Lepchenko 6-4, 6-1 in their decisive qualifying clash. Sasnovich had also cruised through her opening qualifying match, defeating China’s Junhan Zhang in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0.

Belarusian world No.2 Aryna Sabalenka received a first-round bye and will open her run against either Anna Bondár of Hungary or Renata Zarazúa of Mexico.

American Amanda Anisimova became the China Open champion, having beat Czechia’s Linda Nosková in the final in 2025. The 2026 edition in Beijing runs until 11 October, with the champion set to take home $1.1 million and 1,000 ranking points.