WTA China Open 2023: Women's draw, schedule, players, prize money breakdown & more
The 17th edition of the women's tournament at the China Open will start on October 2.
Naomi Osaka won the most recent edition of the WTA 1000 event in 2019 but will not be competing this year due to her maternity leave.
Aryna Sabalenka will take part in her first tournament since attaining the World No. 1 ranking and will be a heavy favorite to win, as will second seed Iga Swiatek. Coco Gauff will also have high expectations entering the tournament after her US Open triumph.
What is the China Open?
The China Open is a hard-court tournament that takes place in Beijing. It's a part of the WTA 1000 series. The inaugural edition of the competition took place in 2004, with Serena Williams being the champion after defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the final.
Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki are the most successful women in the history of the China Open, with two titles to their name. Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Garcia and Garbine Muguruza are some of the other players who have won the tournament.
Venue
The National Tennis Center in Beijing is the venue for the WTA 1000 tournament.
Players
Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed at the China Open and is a heavy favorite to win. The Belarusian will be eager to win the WTA 1000 event after losing the US Open final.
Iga Swiatek is seeded second and will be among the title contenders as well. The Pole hasn't had the best of results as per her lofty standards, as she lost in the fourth round of the US Open and was recently eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
Third seed Coco Gauff is another title contender, and will have high expectations in Beijing after winning her maiden Grand Slam singles title at the US Open. The likes of Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, Maria Sakkari and Marketa Vondrousova are also capable of challenging for the title.
Schedule
The main draw of the China Open will start on October 2, with the first round of the women's singles event taking place. The quarterfinals are scheduled for October 6 while the semifinals are set to be played on October 7. The women's singles final in Beijing is set to take place on October 8.
Prize Money
The total prize pool for the women's tournament in Beijing is $8,127,389, with the women's singles champion receiving a prize money of $1.5 million.
Prize money breakdown will be provided when available.
Where to watch China Open 2023
Viewers in the US, Australia, UK and Canada can watch the China Open live on the following channels and sites:
USA: All matches will be broadcast on Tennis Channel.
UK: Fans in the UK can watch the proceedings at the WTA 1000 event live on Amazon Prime Video.
Australia: All matches at the China Open will be telecast on beIN Sports.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can watch all the matches on TSN.