Taylah Preston’s rapid rise gathered more pace in Beijing as the Australian reached the third round of her first WTA 1000 appearance, backing up a recent run of breakthroughs with a straight-sets dismissal of 22nd seed Diane Parry.
Preston, now ranked No. 91, defeated the world No. 31 Parry 7-6(4), 6-1 to set up a Sunday meeting with Ukraine’s Daria Snigur. A victory in that match could put a potential encounter with world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva within reach in the next round of the China Open draw.
Preston’s climb continues in Beijing
- At this point last year, Preston stood at No. 248 and was playing W35-level ITF events in Australia.
- Her 2026 campaign began with a semifinal at the Hobart 250, where she beat Emma Raducanu when the Briton was ranked No. 29.
- The Western Australian then claimed a W100 trophy in Japan and lifted a WTA 125 title in Vancouver.
- She reached the second round of the US Open last month before upsetting Jelena Ostapenko en route to the Seoul quarterfinals last week.
- In Beijing, she opened with a win over Tamara Korpatsch before overcoming Parry, her second-best victory by opponent ranking.
Preston had targeted a place inside the top 120 at the start of the season, but has already moved comfortably beyond that objective. She said the year had developed steadily and that she had enjoyed testing herself at unfamiliar events.
“It has been a really strong year for me,” Preston said. “I feel as though I have progressed step by step from January onward. Playing different tournaments has been exciting, and getting into the top 100 is a nice reward. I want to remain there.”
She acknowledged that rankings remain difficult to ignore, particularly around major milestones, but said she had tried to use them as manageable targets rather than a distraction.
“You naturally look at the rankings, but they can give you a goal to chase,” she said. “Breaking the top 100 is probably the hardest step because it means so much and it is always on your mind when you are close.”
Snigur waits after Paolini comeback
Preston’s next opponent, Snigur, produced one of Friday’s biggest reversals by beating 14th seed Jasmine Paolini 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2. It was the Ukrainian’s third victory over a top-20 opponent this season.
Elsewhere in the lower section of the draw, qualifier Polina Kudermetova eliminated 32nd seed Clara Tauson 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. Dayana Yastremska also advanced briskly, beating world No. 21 Maja Chwalinska 6-3, 6-1 in 70 minutes.
Czech contingent makes a strong start
Czech players won four of their five matches on Friday, with seeded entrants Linda Noskova, Karolina Muchova, Sara Bejlek and Nikola Bartunkova all progressing in straight sets. Lucky loser Linda Fruhvirtova was the lone Czech defeat, falling to Liudmila Samsonova.
Muchova, returning to competition after playing limited matches since Wimbledon, beat Katie Boulter 7-6(3), 6-1.
“I am pleased just to be here and competing,” Muchova said. “I have not had many matches since Wimbledon, so the aim is to build momentum, play more often and find my rhythm again.”
Bejlek defeated Maddison Inglis 6-3, 7-5 for her first Beijing win and a place in the third round. She said the previous week’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen had helped her adjust to her first trip to Asia.
“I am very happy to get through,” Bejlek said. “Coming to Asia for the first time is not simple, so being in Shenzhen last week gave me the opportunity to get familiar with the surroundings.”
Noskova, Muchova and Bejlek were members of Czechia’s title-winning Billie Jean King Cup team in Shenzhen, alongside Marie Bouzkova and Katerina Siniakova. Bouzkova and Siniakova can still extend the Czech presence to six players in the Beijing third round.
