Svitolina returns to tour in Beijing to face Siniakova, leads 5-0 but history is closer than it looks

Return after the BJK Cup final

Sixth-seeded Elina Svitolina is back on tour at the China Open in Beijing less than a week after helping Ukraine reach the Billie Jean King Cup final. Her next opponent is Czech player Katerina Siniakova.

Siniakova's path to the match

Siniakova opened her 2026 China Open campaign with a win over Magda Linette, 6-4, 6-3, in her first match since the US Open. According to Artvoice, she came back from 2-4 down in the first set. The win leveled her career head-to-head with Linette at 3-3 — Linette had won their first three meetings between 2012 and 2019, before Siniakova took the last three since 2022.

Siniakova is ranked No. 55 in singles but is best known as the world's top-ranked doubles player and the reigning Olympic doubles gold medalist. She was part of the Czech team that won the Billie Jean King Cup last weekend, though she wasn't called upon in singles given the depth of her teammates. Per Artvoice, she also has a strong record on hard courts in China.

A lopsided record, but closer matches than it suggests

Svitolina leads the head-to-head against Siniakova 5-0, and Artvoice notes she also holds a dominant record against the Czech specifically on hard courts. However, Last Word On Sports points out that the scoreline doesn't tell the whole story: four of their five meetings went to a deciding set, and their most recent encounter this year ended with Siniakova retiring mid-match. The outlet suggests that if Siniakova deploys her variety of shots and smart serve placement, she could trouble Svitolina — who may still be processing the heartbreak of the BJK Cup final loss. Last Word On Sports predicts Siniakova to win in three sets.