Osaka Survives Four Set Points to Reach China Open Last 16

Naomi Osaka is through to the round of 16 at the China Open in Beijing after a 7-6(4), 6-4 win over Sara Bejlek, but the scoreline hides how close the first set came to slipping away. The Japanese former champion, seeded 12th, saved four set points in the opening set before finally converting her fifth match point to close out the match in straight sets.

For a player who has spoken openly about the mental strain of competing at the top of the sport, the resilience on display mattered as much as the result. Bejlek, seeded 20th, served for the first set and had chances to take control of the match. Osaka held firm, dragged the set to a tiebreak, and then edged it 7-6(4). From there she broke early in the second and never let the advantage go.

The China Open is one of the biggest stops on the women’s tour, played in front of large crowds in Beijing during China’s autumn holiday week. For the tournament, Osaka’s presence is a draw in itself. She is a former champion here, and her return to form has been one of the more closely followed stories of the season.

Her next opponent will be decided by the match between Karolina Muchova and Liudmila Samsonova, two players with very different styles. Muchova brings variety, slices and net play, while Samsonova hits flat and hard from the back of the court. Either would present a different puzzle for Osaka, whose first serve and return have looked sharper in recent weeks.

Osaka’s route through the draw has not been simple. She has had to manage long rallies and heavy conditions, and the first set against Bejlek was a reminder that nothing at this level comes easily. Saving four set points requires a certain kind of calm, and she found it when the match was still undecided.

Chinese fans have turned out in force for the tournament, filling the stands for both day and night sessions. Tennis has grown steadily in popularity in China over the past two decades, helped by the success of Chinese players and by the arrival of global stars at events like this one. The China Open has become a fixture that casual sports fans in Beijing plan their holidays around.

For Bejlek, the defeat will sting, but the 20th seed showed enough to suggest she will be back in these positions. She served well for much of the first set and matched Osaka from the baseline for long stretches. The difference came down to a handful of points in the tiebreak.

Osaka now has a day to recover before the round of 16. If she can carry the composure she showed in the first set into the next round, she will be a difficult opponent for anyone left in the draw.