Defending Beijing champion Caroline Wozniacki returns to quarterfinals

It’s been one year since Caroline Wozniacki raised a trophy, and on Thursday, she moved a step closer to retaining her China Open crown. The world No. 19 defeated Katerina Siniakova, 7-5, 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals in Beijing.

In a match featuring 12 breaks of serve, Wozniacki managed to tip the scale with seven, winning 56 percent of her return points to close out the Czech in one hour and 37 minutes. The former world No. 1 also eliminated Siniakova during her title run last year and improved to 4-1 in the pair’s head-to-head series.

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Wozniacki is bidding to extend her streak of winning at least one WTA singles title for the 12th consecutive season. In 2018, she added three trophies to her collection, including her first major crown at the Australian Open, but also discovered she had rheumatoid arthritis. The 29-year-old entered this week with a 16-14 record on the year, with her best showing coming in Charleston when she finished runner-up to Madison Keys.

For a place in the semifinals, Wozniacki awaits the winner of an all-Russian contest between Daria Kasatkina and Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Fourth seed Naomi Osaka maintained her recent run of form, cooling off Wuhan finalist Alison Riske, 6-4, 6-0. The American led 4-2 in the first set, before Osaka reeled off 10 straight games to grab hold of the third-round clash. The two were squaring off for the first time since 2016, when Riske advanced in Madrid.

Osaka is aiming to win her second successive trophy, following a triumph on home soil in Osaka. That run marked the 21-year-old’s first title since she captured her second major crown in Melbourne. In the last eight, Osaka could meet US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, if the Canadian advances past qualifier Jennifer Brady.