BEIJING, Oct 1 — New world number one Angelique Kerber said today that she was focused on her “weapon” as she hits the court in Beijing for the China Open.
“At the end you are trying to (be focused) more on your weapon, on your game, than on the weapon from your opponents,” she told reporters in Beijing today.
The two-time Grand Slam champion flew to Beijing from Wuhan where she was ousted in the third round in an epic three-and-a-half hours match by eventual champion Petra Kvitova.
The German — who ended veteran Serena Williams’ 186-week run as number one in September — will face a qualifier in the first round of the China Open’s main draw
Although the 28-year-old has remained very level-headed despite her rise to the top of women’s tennis, she admitted that being number one was a boost.
“I have much more confidence when I’m on court. I know what to do in the important moments,” she said.
“That came from the experience which I learned in the last years, especially this year.”
Defending China Open champion Garbine Mugaruza meets Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu in the opening round today.
Meanwhile, Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig crashed out of the first round — her second consecutive first round exit — to Belgium Yanina Wickmayer 6-2, 6-0.
On the men’s side, world number one and six-time China Open winner Novak Djokovic is not in Beijing to defend his almost flawless China Open record.
An elbow injury has forced the 12-time Grand Slam champion to pull out, opening the door for Andy Murray who sat out the tournament last year.
The men’s main draw starts on Monday, with tournament’s top seeds Murray and Rafael Nadal both facing Italians in the first round: newlywed Andreas Seppi and 35th-ranked Paolo Lorenzi respectively. — AFP
