Bertens passes 'tough' Yastremska test to move through in Beijing

BEIJING, China – No.8 seed Kiki Bertens overcame Dayana Yastemska, 7-6(5), 6-3 to progress to the last 16 of the China Open in one hour 45 minutes.

Having been forced to battle past Donna Vekic in a lengthy first-round encounter, WTA World No.8 Bertens will at least match her performance in Beijing in 2018 – the only previous time she has won a match at the tournament.

The Dutchwoman took over an hour to seal the opening set but had a marginally easier ride in the second to secure a meeting against either No.10 seed Angelique Kerber or Polona Hercog in the third round.

“It was tough,” she admitted. “I hadn’t played her before but of course she hits the ball so hard, so you never really know what you’re going to get. 

“I was set point down in the first and she hit a forehand long that I thought she’d make, so it was almost the set for her. I kept fighting and put as many balls back in court as I could.

“I knew that she’d play hard, so I had to put variety in my strokes, some higher balls and some slicing, and I thought I did that well today.”

It could have been a simpler passage through had she taken her opportunities in the first set. She moved into the ascendancy as Yastremska fired long, yet she squandered multiple chances to secure a second break in a protracted seventh game that proved pivotal to the direction of the opener.
 

Having saved break points, the Ukrainian WTA World No.27, who was coming off her first Top 10 win last week after defeating Karolina Pliskova, hit back and was the player probing as the set moved into a tiebreak. Indeed, had she kept a forehand in the court, she would have taken the set before it reached that stage.

Yastremska played a loose decider, however, with multiple errors allowing Bertens to storm into a 6-1 advantage. Though the 19-year-old was able to reel her opponent in to 6-5, she had left her rally too late.

Serve had dominated the opening set, with just two breaks, but in the second there were five, while only two games did not throw up a break point chance.

Bertens had gone through the first set without serving an ace, but she produced three in a game to secure what proved to be a rare hold as she moved 2-1 up. That advantage was stretched to 4-1, and though Yastremska was able to get back on serve by breaking the Dutchwoman, she followed it up with an extremely loose game that ultimately cost her the match.

With the victory line in sight, Bertens raised her level and produced just her second love service game of the match – her only other had been the first time she had stepped to the line.