The China Open saw a major upset on Tuesday as Spain’s Paula Badosa eliminated US Open finalist Jessica Pegula in the Round of 16. Badosa, seeded 15th, dominated the match, winning 6-4, 6-0, to advance to the quarterfinals.
This victory sets up a thrilling matchup for Badosa. Her opponent in the quarterfinals will be either Magdalena Frech of Poland or China’s Zhang Shuai. Zhang, ranked 595th in the world, has made history by becoming the lowest-ranked player to ever reach this stage of the China Open.
Pegula, seeded second in the tournament, entered the WTA 1000 event as one of the hottest players on the tour. Her recent run included reaching the US Open final, where she was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka. However, she was unable to maintain her momentum against Badosa, who controlled the second set after a closely contested first.
The top seed in Beijing, Aryna Sabalenka, will face American Madison Keys in the Round of 16. Meanwhile, defending champion and world number one Iga Swiatek is absent from the tournament due to “personal matters.”
