Magdalena Fręch defeats Elsa Jacquemot in three sets at WTA 1000 in Beijing
Poland's Magdalena Fręch secured a 7:5, 3:6, 6:4 win over Elsa Jacquemot in 163 minutes at the China Open, earning a second-round matchup against Czech seed Nikola Bartunkova.
First-round duel in Beijing
Magdalena Fręch opened her tournament campaign at the WTA 1000 in Beijing on 30 September 2026 with a three-set victory over France's Elsa Jacquemot. The 28-year-old Polish player, unseeded in the event and ranked 48th in the world, required 163 minutes on court to secure a 7:5, 3:6, 6:4 win (with one match report recording the second set at 6:4). Jacquemot entered the main draw as a qualifier after defeating Zongyu Li and Vivian Wolff in preliminary rounds. The French player, who won the 2020 junior Roland Garros title and held a career-high ranking of 53 in February before sliding to 165, replaced Croatia's Petra Marcinko after Marcinko withdrew due to an injury. The result marked Fręch's fourth victory in five career encounters against Jacquemot, whom she had previously beaten 6:4, 6:0 in Hobart earlier in the season.
- Magdalena Fręch
- 4 wins
- Elsa Jacquemot
- 1 wins
Course of the three-set match
The opening set took 1 hour and 13 minutes, featuring multiple service breaks on both sides of the net. Fręch failed to convert four break opportunities in Jacquemot's opening service game before breaking in the fifth game on her sixth break point, aided by three double faults from the French player. Although Fręch established a 4:2 lead after 36 minutes, Jacquemot fought back to level the set at 4:4. In the ninth game, Fręch recovered from 40-15 down to force deuce and earned a break point at 5:4 off another double fault. Fręch was unable to serve out the set at 30-15 as Jacquemot leveled at 5:5, but Fręch earned a decisive break and closed out the opener 7:5 on her fourth set point. Jacquemot replied in the second set by building leads of 3:1 and 4:1 before taking the set. In the decider, Fręch took a 3:0 lead and moved ahead 5:2 as the match extended toward 22:00 local time. Jacquemot reduced the deficit to 4:5 before Fręch broke serve to win 6:4.
In the second and third sets Elsa made very few unforced errors. I am pleased with my play, particularly in the third set. I am enjoying my time in Beijing. See you on Friday.
Upcoming schedule and Polish draw
Fręch, who represents the KS Górnik Bytom club, advanced to face 20-year-old Czech player Nikola Bartunkova in the second round on Friday. Bartunkova, the 26th seed in Beijing, held a bye in the opening round. The victory followed Fręch's quarterfinal appearance at the WTA 500 event in Guadalajara, where she was eliminated 6:2, 6:1 by Iva Jovic before traveling to Asia.
- Fręch defeats Jacquemot in 163 minutes while Kawa loses to Snihur
- Linette faces Siniakova in first-round match
- Fręch plays 26th seed Bartunkova in second round
Results across the Polish contingent
Fręch's victory took place during an active week for Polish competitors in Beijing. Earlier in the first round, Katarzyna Kawa was eliminated following a 6:3, 4:6, 5:7 defeat against Ukraine's Daria Snihur. Magda Linette was scheduled to face Czech competitor Katerina Siniakova in Thursday's first-round action. Two higher-ranked Polish players, 8th seed Iga Świątek and 17th seed Maja Chwalińska, received first-round byes and will begin competition in the second round. At the concurrent WTA 125 tournament in Adana, Turkey, Martyna Kubka defeated Ksenia Efremova to advance into the round of sixteen and reach the world top 200.
