Badosa shocks second seed Pegula at China Open

US Open finalist Jessica Pegula is retired of nan China Open aft a last-16 conclusion by Spain's Paula Badosa.

The American world number three, seeded 2nd successful Beijing, mislaid 6-4 6-0 successful conscionable complete an hour.

An early break saw Badosa spell 3-1 down successful nan opening set, but nan Spaniard won 11 of nan adjacent 12 games - including 8 successful a statement - to unafraid her first triumph complete a top-five subordinate since 2022.

"She's 1 nan of nan players I ne'er want to face," said world number 19 Badosa.

"She's very solid, hits very flat, changes guidance very well, truthful I knew it was going to beryllium tough.

"Yesterday I prepared myself for a battle, but I deliberation coming everything worked beautiful well."

She will meet Zhang Shuai successful nan quarter-finals aft nan world number 595 continued her singular tally astatine nan tourney pinch a 6-4 6-2 triumph complete Poland's Magdalena Frech.

Zhang went into her location arena connected nan backmost of 24 successive defeats spanning much than 600 days, nan second-longest tally connected nan WTA Tour successful nan unfastened era, which began successful 1968 erstwhile professionals were yet allowed to play successful Grand Slam tournaments.

The two-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist, whose profession has been plagued by injuries, is besides nan lowest-ranked subordinate to ever compete successful nan main tie of nan China Open - a WTA 1000 event.

But nan 35-year-old has now won 4 matches successful Beijing without dropping a set, including a second-round triumph complete US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro.