China Open 2024 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?
The Asian hard court swing is set to hot up next week, with both tours competing at the China Open.
And we, at Tennishead, have all the information on how you can watch the WTA 1000/ATP 500 tournament:
When is the China Open 2024?
The main draw of the WTA 1000 tournament gets underway on Wednesday 25th September, with the final taking place Sunday 6th October.
Meanwhile the ATP 500 event starts on Thursday 26th September, taking place alongside the WTA event before concluding on Wednesday 2nd October.
Play on most days begins at 11am local time (4am BST), with night sessions starting at the later time of 7pm (10am BST).
The qualifying draws are conducted between Monday 23rd September and Wednesday 25th September.
Where is the China Open held?
Once again, the China Open will be held at the National Tennis Centre in the capital, Beijing.
This venue played host to the tennis events at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, holding a total of 47 courts across the huge complex with 12 of those used for matches.
The Diamond Court is the biggest on the complex and can hold 15,000 spectators, and is supported by the Lotus Court (10,000 seats), the Moon Court (4,000 seats) and the Brad Drewett Court (2,000 seats).
Who is playing at the China Open 2024?
The China Open is one of two WTA 1000 events taking place in Asia this year, but will not feature World No.1 and defending champion Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek was expected to defend her title in the Chinese capital, but withdrew from the tournament due to ‘personal matters’.
Hope to see you back on court soon, @iga_swiatek 🙏 pic.twitter.com/BmKspkGofd
— wta (@WTA) September 20, 2024
This leaves Australian Open and US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka as the top seed, as she looks to close the gap on Swiatek for the No.1 ranking.
Some of the other top seeds in Beijing this year include US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini, Coco Gauff and Chinese No.1 Qinwen Zheng.
There is only one former champion returning to Beijing this year, as Naomi Osaka looks to recreate her success from five years ago.
Osaka has recently split with long-term coach Wim Fissette, and appears to now be working with Patrick Mouratoglou.
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Wildcards have been exclusively awarded to Chinese players, with Zhang Shuai, Qiang Wang, Xinyu Gao, Yufei Ren, Han Shi, Meiling Wang, Sijia Wei and Xinxin Yao all in the main draw.
Zhang has been ranked as high as World No.22 in singles, but is currently on the longest losing streak in WTA history of 24 matches and will be looking to change that in her home capital.
In the men’s ATP 500 draw, World No.1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner is returning as the top seed.
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Sinner is on an 11-match winning streak after winning the Cincinnati Masters and US Open, as he looks to continue his dominance on hard courts in 2024.
However, the Italian will face tough competition from the likes of four-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz, last year’s runner-up Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev.
The remaining seeds in Beijing this year are Andrey Rublev, Grigor Dimitrov, Lorenzo Musetti and Karen Khachanov.
Three wildcards have been given to three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, and Chinese youngsters Juncheng Shang and Yunchaokete Bu.
How many ranking points are on offer at the China Open 2024?
With the respective ATP and WTA Finals getting closer, the motivation for ranking points is higher than ever for players still in contention.
And here is a breakdown of those on offer in Beijing next week:
| Event | W | F | SF | QF | Round of 16 | Round of 32 | Round of 64 | Round of 128 | Q | Q2 | Q1 |
| Men’s singles | 500 | 330 | 200 | 100 | 50 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 13 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men’s doubles | 300 | 180 | 90 | 0 | — | — | — | 45 | 25 | 0 | |
| Women’s singles | 1,000 | 650 | 390 | 215 | 120 | 65 | 35 | 10 | 30 | 20 | 2 |
| Women’s doubles | 10 | — | — | — | — | — |
What is the prize money for the China Open 2024?
The total prize pot for the China Open this year is $11,847,554, with the WTA tournament offering $8,127,389, compared to $3,720,165 on the ATP side.
Unfortunately there is no current breakdown of the WTA prize money, but here is how ATP players can get a share of that prize pot:
| Event | W | F | SF | QF | R16 | R32 | Q2 | Q1 |
| Singles | $695,750 | $374,340 | $199,495 | $101,925 | $54,405 | $29,015 | $14,870 | $8,340 |
| Doubles * | $228,510 | $121,870 | $61,660 | $30,830 | $15,960 | — | — | — |
*Per team
Previous winners of the China Open
Last year, Iga Swiatek claimed the China Open title on her debut at the event, after beating Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets.
It was a slightly more closely contested men’s singles final, with Jannik Sinner also winning in straight sets as he beat Daniil Medvedev to begin his run of newfound form.
Here are all of the past 10 singles and doubles champions in Beijing:
| Year | Men’s Singles Champion | Women’s Singles Champion | Men’s Doubles Champions | Women’s Doubles Champions |
| 2011 | Tomas Berdych | Agnieszka Radwańska | Michael Llodra & Nenad Zimonjic | Kveta Peschke & Katarina Srebotnik |
| 2012 | Novak Djokovic (3) | Victoria Azarenka | Bob Bryan (3) & Mike Bryan (3) | Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina |
| 2013 | Novak Djokovic (4) | Serena Williams (2) | Max Mirnyi & Horia Tecau | Cara Black & Sania Mirza |
| 2014 | Novak Djokovic (5) | Maria Sharapova | Jean-julien Rojer & Horia Tecau (2) | Andrea Hlavackova & Peng Shuai (2) |
| 2015 | Novak Djokovic (6) | Garbine Muguruza | Vasek Pospisil & Jack Sock | Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza (2) |
| 2016 | Andy Murray | Agnieszka Radwańska (2) | Rafael Nadal & Pablo Carreno Busta | Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Lucie Safarova |
| 2017 | Rafael Nadal (2) | Caroline Garcia | Henri Kontinen & John Peers | Latisha Chan & Martina Hingis (2) |
| 2018 | Nikoloz Basilashvili | Caroline Wozniacki (2) | Lukasz Kubot & Marcelo Melo | Andrea Hlavackova (2) & Barbora Strycova |
| 2019 | Dominic Thiem | Naomi Osaka | Ivan Dodig & Filip Polasek | Sofia Kenin & Bethanie Mattek-Sands (2) |
| 2020-2022 | Not held due to Covid-19/Peng Shuai WTA suspension | – | – | – |
| 2023 | Jannik Sinner | Iga Swiatek | Ivan Dodig (2) & Austin Krajicek | Marie Bouzkova & Sara Sorribes Tormo |
How can you watch the China Open 2024?
You can watch the China Open on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland, or on Tennis Channel in the United States of America. The ATP tournament is also available on Tennis TV worldwide.
For more information on how to watch the joint event in your location, visit either the WTA website here or the ATP website here.
READ MORE: Iga Swiatek withdraws from China Open due to ‘personal matters’
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