China Open final preview: Two world No. 1's vs. two youngsters

Simona Halep vs. Caroline Garcia

The finale of the WTA’s fourth Premier Mandatory event of 2017 makes sense. While it doesn’t pit the season’s two best players against each other, it does feature two players who have been playing some of the most impressive tennis of their careers over the last week. The unseeded Garcia is coming off a major win in Wuhan, and she has followed that up with hard-earned and somewhat surprising victories over Elina Svitolina and Petra Kvitova in Beijing. If anything, Halep has cracked an even higher ceiling at the China Open. By beating Maria Sharapova and Jelena Ostapenko, both in one-sided straight-setters, she has avenged two Grand Slam losses from earlier in the year; and, for good measure, she has become No. 1 in the world for the first time while she was at it. Halep is 2-0 against Garcia; if they’re both still playing their best on Sunday, that means Halep should win.

Winner: Halep

Rafael Nadal vs. Nick Kyrgios

This is the final that Beijing and the ATP wanted, but was probably too much for them to actually hope for. Yes, Nadal is No. 1 and the US Open champ, but you never know how he’s going to fare on a hard court. And yes, Kyrgios is a Slam winner in waiting, but you never know how he’s going to fare, or how much he’s going to care, on any type of court. This week, Nadal and Kyrgios have fared as well as possible. Rafa survived a tough draw, a couple of three-setters, and two match points against him to reach the final and extend his lead in the race for year-end No. 1. For his part, in the semis Kyrgios showed that he does care where he stands with regard to his younger rival, Alexander Zverev, who seemed to have passed him in the Next Big Thing sweepstakes this summer. Can Kyrgios muster that same sustained effort against Rafa? He typically plays his best when he has something to prove against a top player. Can Nadal, who was unhappy about his losing performance in their last meeting, in Cincinnati, find an answer on a hard court? The Spaniard and the Aussie are 2-2, and there seems to a pendulum effect to their rivalry. After Cincy, it may be swing back in Rafa’s direction.

Winner: Nadal