Top 5 Photos, October 2: Thiem sets Murray clash; Andreescu wins again
Dominic Thiem powered through his second-round match against wild card Zhang Zhizhen, and will be eager to defeat the former world No. 1 Andy Murray in the China Open quarterfinals.
The excitement continues to build in Beijing as top players extend their winning streaks, but with others hungry to stop them in their tracks. These are the Top 5 photos from Wednesday.
1. Dominic Thiem had another strong performance on the Beijing courts. The top seed dismissed Chinese wild card Zhang Zhizhen 6-3, 6-3, to set up a quarterfinal clash with Murray. The Scot currently leads their head-to-heard record, 2-1, but Thiem has been playing some impressive tennis this tournament and will be hungry to even it up.
2. Canadian teen Bianca Andreescu extended her winning streak to 16 matches. In a rematch of their US Open quarterfinals clash, the 19-year-old once again showed her mental and physical strength, posting a 6-3, 7-6 (5) win against Elise Mertens. Andreescu will face American Jennifer Brady for a spot in the China Open’s quarterfinals.
3. In nearly three hours, Andy Murray reached his first ATP tour singles quarterfinal of the season. The former world No. 1 dispatched compatriot Cameron Norrie 7-6 (6), 6-7 (4), 6-1 in the Beijing second round. This win marks Murray’s first time claiming two consecutive tour-level matches since undergoing hip surgery in January. The Scot will attempt to keep his run alive when he takes on Dominic Thiem.
4. Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov survived another three-set battle in their second-round doubles match. The pair escaped past Alexander Zverev and John Isner, 6-4, 3-6, 10-8, to advance to the Beijing semifinal. Khachanov is still alive in singles and will face No. 6 seed Fabio Fognini.
5. Naomi Osaka took a break from her third-round preparations to meet-and-greet more fans at the China Open. Osaka signed oversized tennis balls at the official merchandise booth for her smallest admirers ahead of her bout with American Alison Riske. The two haven’t faced each other since 2016 in Madrid, with Riske taking the match in straight sets.
