Lulu Sun On Collision Course With Aryna Sabalenka at China Open

New Zealand's Lulu Sun is on course to face world number two and US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in the China Open.

Sun, now at a career-high of 38 in the live rankings, not only qualified automatically for the main draw but also earned a first-round bye as the 29th seed.

Sun will kick off her China Open campaign against the winner of the first-round match between Yafan Wang and Ashlyn Krueger. Wang is currently ranked 51 in the world, while Krueger sits at 65.

Despite being ranked higher than both opponents, Sun will need to bring her best tennis to advance. Both Wang and Krueger have had strong performances this hard-court season. Wang reached the round of 16 at the US Open, while Krueger recorded notable wins over Naomi Osaka and Donna Vekić in Cincinnati, and Mirra Andreeva at the US Open.

Sun has also been in excellent form on the hard-courts, reaching her first WTA 500 final in Monterrey earlier this year before retiring injured at the US Open.

Sabalenka, the top seed at the China Open, looks to have a favorable path to the third round, with a bye in the first round and a second-round match against either a qualifier or a lucky loser.

The main draw of the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing begins at 2pm Wednesday (NZ time), with Sun likely in action on Friday (NZ time).

For the full draw, click here.