Angelique Kerber faces uphill battle at 2017 China Open
By Harry Floyd
Angelique Kerber comes into Beijing as the No. 10 seed at the China Open. She is in need of a deep tournament run this week.
Angelique Kerber is a former world No. 1. Since the start of the 2017 WTA Tour, the German tennis star has struggled to find her rhythm.
Action at the 2017 China Open provides Kerber a chance to get back on top. Currently, she is the world No. 12 in women’s singles and sits in the seventeenth position in the Race to Singapore.
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With ten career WTA singles titles to her name, Kerber is yet to win one in 2017. Her opening round match at the China Open will be telling as to which side of her we will see this week. Kerber faces Naomi Osaka of Japan on Saturday.
Angelique Kerber is 1-1 versus Naomi Osaka on the year.
The 19-year-old Osaka defeated Kerber at the US Open, notching one of the biggest early upsets of the tournament. Kerber then evened the score between the two players just two weeks ago in Tokyo.
Looking at the seedings, there is a chance that Kerber sees a rematch with Caroline Garcia in the third round of the China Open. Earlier this week, Garcia knocked the former No. 1 out of play at the Wuhan Open. Garcia is now into the finals at the tournament this weekend.
Despite some mishaps in 2017, Angelique Kerber remains one of the top players in women’s singles tennis. At 29-years-old, the German tennis star has vastly more experience than many of the younger players making headlines this year. She is just one tournament away from bouncing back and becoming a top contender again.
Also in action this week is top seed Garbine Muguruza. She will be the favorite in Beijing as she looks to remain atop the rankings. Second seed Simona Halep, similar to Kerber, is also looking for a redeeming tournament right now. The Romanian tennis star squares off against American Alison Riske in her opening round match. Stay tuned to see if Angelique Kerber can bounce back and take on the field at the 2017 China Open.