WTA Beijing Open: Sabine Lisicki vs. Kaia Kanepi

Sabine Lisicki will take on Kaia Kanepi on Monday in the second round of the China Open.

Sabine Lisicki struggled to make the most of her ferocious serve in her first round matchup against Irina Begu on Sunday, but still managed to clinch a 6-2 retirement victory. The German only put 40 percent of her first serves in, and she would have been in trouble had she not managed to convert four of six break point opportunities on Begu’s serve.

Lisicki might not have produced a polished performance, but the fact that she still dominated despite being inconsistent on serve speaks volumes. The fourteenth seed has been in superb form recently, and her ability to win matches when her biggest weapon isn’t fully functioning stands her in good stead for a title challenge this week.

Lisicki will now meet Kaia Kanepi on Monday in round two. Kanepi thrashed Saisai Zheng in the first round (6-0, 6-3), and there’s a chance that she’ll give Lisicki a stern test. The world No. 43 beat Caroline Wozniacki last week in Tokyo, and she might be able to pull off yet another upset. Even so, Lisicki should be able to get the upper hand here.