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China Open 2018 Results: Juan Martin del Potro, Naomi Osaka Cruise on Tuesday

Matt Jones

Top seed Juan Martin del Potro coasted into the second round of the China Open on Tuesday, as he beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas in straight sets.

Del Potro, who has returned to form in 2018, moved through the gears, eventually winning 7-5, 6-2. Joining him in Round 2 is third seed Grigor Dimitrov after he beat Tennys Sandgren, while Alexander Zverev, seeded second, will take to the court later in the day.

In the women's draw, U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka crushed Daniele Collins 6-1, 6-0 to advance; Angelique Kerber and defending champion Caroline Garcia also earned straightforward wins.

Here are the results from Tuesday's play at the National Tennis Center in Beijing and a closer look at the best of the action.

               

Selected Tuesday Results

Men's Draw

(1) Juan Martin del Potro bt. Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 7-5 6-2

(3) Grigor Dimitrov bt. Tennys Sandgren, 7-5 6-3

Nikoloz Basilashvili bt. (6) Jack Sock, 6-7(8) 7-5 6-2

             

Women's Draw   

(3) Angelique Kerber bt. Carla Suarez Navarro, 7-6(4) 6-1

(4) Caroline Garcia bt. Polona Hercog, 7-6(2) 6-3

(8) Naomi Osaka bt. Daniele Collins, 6-1 6-0

(9) Sloane Stephens bt. Zheng Saisai, 6-1 6-3

(11) Kiki Bertens bt. Kirsten Flipkins, 6-1 6-1

Wang Qiang bt. (12) Jelena Ostapenko, 6-0 6-0

          

For the scorelines in full visit the competition website.

     

Wednesday Schedule

        

Tuesday Recap

Del Potro returned to the court for a competitive match for the first time since he lost the U.S. Open final to Novak Djokovic on Tuesday, and unsurprisingly, it took him time to get up to speed.

The first set was a tight affair against Ramos-Vinolas, although the top seed found extra quality in the clutch moments. Del Potro's 7-5 first-set win appeared to knock the Spaniard's confidence, too.

Eventually, it proved to be a routine victory for Del Potro, who will look to finish this year of recuperation on a high:

Del Potro is also in a strong position to qualify for the ATP Finals in London, an event Dimitrov won in 2017.

The Bulgarian faces a battle to defend his title at the competition, though, as he languishes in 18th in the race to qualify. He did at least get his tournament off to a good start in Beijing, breezing past Sandgren.

Per Jose Morgado of Record, it's imperative he keeps up that run of form:

In the women's draw, the standout scoreline came in the match between 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and home favourite Wang Qiang, and the former failed to register a game.

Afterward, the Latvian said that despite an injury, she didn't want to pull out of the contest:

Elsewhere, after a rusty performance in her first match, Osaka was much-improved against Collins, dropping a solitary game in a lopsided tussle. That win means she qualifies for the WTA Finals, and she was clearly pleased at that news:

If she's going to win this event, then she'll have to see off some strong competition. Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber is a force on hard courts and improved throughout her match against Carla Suarez Navarro.

Garcia is also a danger, especially given she was victorious at this event in 2017, while Sloane Stephens is another proven winner at the highest level.

   

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