Daily Dose of Social Media: Badosa and Muchova under fire, Kyrgios picks doubles dream partner

Today in our Daily Dose of Social Media, we review the top activities and Entertainment from ATP and WTA players.  The doubles specialist Irina Khromacheva harshly criticized the WTA after the withdrawal of Paula Badosa and Karolina Muchova in the doubles event of the China Open to focus on singles.

Nick Kyrgios chose a legendary former player as his ideal partner for doubles, while Naomi Osaka shared a compilation of photos from her first days in Beijing as she prepares to face Coco Gauff for a place in the quarter-finals.

Doubles world No. 28 Irina Khromacheva launched a strong criticism following the withdrawal of Paula Badosa and Karolina Muchova from the doubles draw at the China Open. The 29-year-old Russian expressed her frustration on social media due to singles players participating in doubles and then pulling out of the draw.

Badosa and Muchova teamed up in doubles and won their debut match against Irina Khromacheva and Anna Danilina (6-3, 6-2). However, they withdrew before the second round against Kudermetova/Chan, deciding to focus on the singles draw. Both Badosa and Muchova are still progressing in singles and have already reached the Round of 16.

Khromacheva's criticism, shared via her Instagram stories, was directed at the WTA, subtly addressing her first-round opponents for taking a spot in the doubles draw from other players who specialize in doubles:

“Bravo WTA... We lost to singles players in doubles in the Beijing tournament,” she wrote. “And in the second round, they’re pulling out because they don’t care about doubles… but they continue to play singles this week… Completely crazy, taking the place of teams who could enter and fully participate. This has happened to me twice this year: they win the first round and then pull out. It’s disrespectful to doubles players and also to those signing up on-site, trying to get in. Very nice rule.”

Nick Kyrgios posted a photo on social media with Roger Federer, choosing him as his ideal partner in doubles. The former Wimbledon runner-up asked his followers which player would be their ideal doubles partner (past or present) and received responses from hundreds of people.

The Australian faced Federer on seven occasions and achieved a single victory at the 2015 Madrid Open, where a then 20-year-old Kyrgios surprised everyone on clay and eliminated the 20-time Grand Slam champion after three tight tiebreaks, winning 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(12). Subsequently, Federer won six encounters between 2017 and 2019, including the decisive victory at the 2017 Laver Cup, where Federer came back to secure the title for Team Europe. “Tag someone you’d wanna play doubles with - past or present 🧪,” captioned Kyrgios.

Naomi Osaka is enjoying a great moment in her return to the Asian Swing. The 4-time Grand Slam champion secured consecutive victories against Lucia Bronzetti, 21st seed Yulia Putintseva, and Katie Volynets to reach the Round of 16 at the China Open.

The former world No. 1 is preparing to face Coco Gauff and shared some photos from her time in Beijing so far. In the pictures, the Japanese player is shown training, along with some off-court photos, and a gift she received upon her arrival in Beijing—a framed picture of her holding the 2019 trophy after defeating Ash Barty in the final.

Osaka continues to climb in the rankings, and with her wins in China, she’s guaranteed to rise to at least the top 60. If she beats Gauff, she could return to the top 50 for the first time since April 2023, before a significant drop in her ranking during her maternity leave.

Jack Draper congratulated his colleague and friend Jacob Fearnley after he reached the top 100 for the first time in his career. Both British players have known each other since their junior days, as they are contemporaries—Draper being 22 years old and Fearnley 23. The world No. 20 shared a photo on social media of himself and Fearnley as children, watching Wimbledon from the stands.

Fearnley claimed the Challenger Orleans title in France over the weekend by defeating Harold Mayot in the final. The 8th seed climbed from world No. 126 to No. 98 thanks to the 125 points he earned with the title. Fearnley gained recognition a few months ago when he faced Novak Djokovic in the second round of Wimbledon, where he managed to take a set from the 24-time Grand Slam champion.

The stars of the ATP and WTA reacted to an epic rally from the 2014 Beijing Open. On that occasion, three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray faced the talented Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas, who recently retired and was known as one of the great showmen on the tour in recent years.

“Oh, he got it back,” Gauff mentioned after an incredible response from Cuevas to a tricky shot from Murray. “That’s a point that you would break a racquet on depending on the score,” she added. “Somehow I’m always waiting for this, but the percentage is unbelievably low,” commented local star Zhang Zhizhen.

The video featured participation from Daniil Medvedev, Jasmine Paolini, Coco Gauff, Zhang Zhizhen, Barbora Krejcikova, among others.

Shuai Zhang left a heartfelt message for her fans after securing her third consecutive win at the China Open. The 35-year-old player overcame a streak of 24 consecutive losses on the WTA Tour, dating back to January 2023, and has rediscovered her form in Beijing.

Zhang, who received a wildcard, has already defeated McCartney Kessler, 8th seed Emma Navarro, and Greet Minnen. The former doubles world No. 1 hasn’t dropped a set in any of her three matches and now prepares for a Round of 16 clash against 23rd seed Magda Frech. Zhang has guaranteed a significant rise in the rankings, moving up to approximately No. 320, and could return to the top 250 with another victory.

Shuai Zhang is one of only two local players still in competition, alongside Zheng Qinwen, the recent Olympic gold medalist. The world No. 595 expressed her gratitude to the local fans, who have filled the stadium to support one of China’s biggest tennis stars over the past 20 years: "Thanks all of setbacks and many adversity to building this moment! @ChinaOpen,” she captioned alongside some pictures from the event.