Overview

• Seeded sixth and starting directly in round two, Paolini defeated Anastasija Sevastova 6–1, 6–3 to open her Beijing WTA 500 campaign.
• Kenin advanced with a 6–4, 6–2 win over Polina Kudermetova and owns a 3–0 record against Paolini, including a victory earlier this year in Dubai.
• Paolini returned to tour action after leading Italy to the Billie Jean King Cup title in Shenzhen.
• In recent days she has been training with Danilo Pizzorno, a video‑analysis specialist who has supported her since 2020 without serving as an on‑court coach.
• Elsewhere in Beijing, No. 8 seed Elena Rybakina reached the third round by defeating Caty McNally 7–5, 4–6, 6–3.