BEIJING (AP) — Paula Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over U.S. Open finalist Jessica Pegula at the China Open on Tuesday to reach her eighth career quarterfinal at a WTA 1000-level event.
From 3-1 down in the opening set, former No. 2-ranked Badosa dominated in her first ever win over third-ranked Pegula.
“She’s one the of the players I never want to face -- she’s very solid, hits very flat, changes very well direction,,” said Badosa, who was 0-3 previously against Pegula. “I prepared myself for a battle, but I think today everything worked pretty well.
“Every point was very important for me, especially against Jessica, because she can come back at any moment."
Badosa next faces 35-year-old Chinese player Zhang Shuai, who continued her resurgence with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Magdalena Frech of Poland.
Zhang entered the China Open on a 24-match losing streak and ranked No. 595, but she's yet to drop a set in four matches this week. That includes eliminating U.S. Open semifinalist Emma Navarro in straight sets for her first win over a Top 10 player in two years.
Zhang is now into her first women's tour quarterfinal since Tokyo in 2022, and her first at a WTA 1000 tournament since Cincinnati in the same year.
Later Tuesday, No. 14-ranked Anna Kalinskaya was scheduled to meet Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine, before the marquee women's match of the day between four-time major winner Naomi Osaka and sixth-ranked Coco Gauff.
It will be the first meeting between the two Grand Slam champions in more than two years, with the head-to-head series tied at 2-2.
On the men's side, Carlos Alcaraz was playing fifth-ranked Daniil Medvedev in the first semifinal, with the Spaniard holding a 5-2 advantage in their head-to-head history.
Defending champion and top-ranked Janner Sinner was set to face No. 96-ranked Bu Yunchaokete, who is playing in his first ATP 500 semifinal.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
The Associated Press
