Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka battled Coco Gauff at the China Open after advancing to the round of 16 with a straight-sets win on Monday.

The former world number 1 defeated the 60th ranked American Katie Volynets 6:3, 6:2 in Beijing.

Japan’s Osaka is playing her first tournament under Patrick Mouratoglou, the Frenchman best known as Serena Williams’ long-time former coach.

Osaka, 26, has struggled for consistency and form since returning to tennis in January following the birth of her daughter Shai in July last year and is now ranked 73rd in the world.

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She recently lost in the second round of the US Open and her best results since birth were two quarterfinal appearances.

Osaka has won seven WTA titles, including the China Open in 2019, the same year she triumphed for the first time at the Australian Open.

She also won the title in Melbourne in 2021 and is a two-time US Open winner.

New York’s 2023 champion Gauff secured her place in the round of 16 in Beijing on Sunday with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Britain’s Katie Boulter.

The 20-year-old American Gauff is ranked fourth.

Sabalenka storms forward

Aryna Sabalenka’s dominant hard-court season showed no signs of slowing down as she cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Ashlyn Krueger at the China Open on Monday for her 14th straight victory.

The three-time Grand Slam champion began her winning streak in August with a title in Cincinnati and continued it with a run to the championship at the US Open earlier this month. She also won the Australian Open earlier this year.

Second-seeded Sabalenka converted five of her seven break point chances in a one-sided battle against Krueger and will next face Madison Keys hoping to match her best 15 consecutive wins from the 2020-21 season.

Keys won 6:3, 6:3 against Beatrice Haddad Maia of Brazil. Haddad Maia won the Korea Open last week but struggled to combat Keys’ baseline strength.

(with inputs from AP)