Xiyu Wang Faces Arantxa Rus in Guangzhou Open: A Look at Her Recent Form and Career Highlights

Xiyu Wang, the 23-year-old Chinese tennis player, is set to face Arantxa Rus in the first round of the Guangzhou Open on October 22, 2024. This match marks the fifth encounter between the two players, with their head-to-head record currently standing at 2-2, and 1-1 on hard surfaces.

Wang has been in impressive form recently. At the Wuhan Open earlier this month, she saved match points to defeat Ekaterina Alexandrova and advanced to her first WTA 1000 semifinal. She also upset Jessica Pegula for the second time this year to reach the quarterfinals in Wuhan.

In her career, Wang has shown significant promise. Born in Taixing, Jiang Su Province, China, she began playing tennis at the age of eight. Her father, Frank Wang, owns a fabric factory, and her mother is Ma Xiaodan. Wang’s favorite surface is hard, and she enjoys making Lego and watching anime in her spare time.

Wang’s career highlights include winning her first WTA singles title at the 2023 Guangzhou Open, where she defeated Magda Linette in the final. She also reached the semifinals at two WTA 250 tournaments in Cluj-Napoca and Washington DC in 2022. As a junior, Wang was the first Chinese girl to win a Grand Slam Junior singles title at the 2018 US Open and also claimed the Junior doubles title at the 2018 Wimbledon with her partner Xinyu Wang.

For the upcoming match against Arantxa Rus, Wang is favored to win, with odds of 1.61 compared to Rus’s 2.32. The prediction suggests that Wang could win the match in three sets.

Rus, ranked 77th in the world, has a composed 34-30 win-loss record in 2024, with 12-12 on hard surfaces. Her best result this season was winning the title at the W75 The Hague, where she defeated Gina Feistel in the final.