Carlos Alcaraz stormed into the China Open quarter-finals on Sunday, completing his match in just 56 minutes as Zhang Shuai continued her remarkable run. Rain in Beijing disrupted the schedule, but Alcaraz made swift progress under the roof of the Diamond Court, defeating Tallon Griekspoor 6-1, 6-2. The 39th-ranked Dutchman appeared stunned by the Spaniard's dominance. Alcaraz, seeded second behind Jannik Sinner, will next face seventh-seeded Karen Khachanov, who secured his place with a tough 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (11/9) win over Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo. In another men's draw match, Chinese wildcard Bu Yunchaokete upset sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-2, 6-4. Meanwhile, Zhang Shuai, another Chinese wildcard, reached the last 16 in the women's draw, adding to her fairytale tournament. The 35-year-old, who hadn't won a singles match in over 600 days, has now won three consecutive matches, including a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Belgium's Greet Minnen. Zhang, the lowest-ranked player to reach the China Open third round, will next face Poland's 23rd seed Magdalena Frech. Zhang, from Tianjin near Beijing, felt at home on the hard courts and humorously compared herself to Rafael Nadal on his favorite surface at the French Open. US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula overcame a scare to set up a meeting with Spain's Paula Badosa. The second-seeded American rallied to defeat Russia's Veronika Kudermetova 6-7 (9/11), 6-1, 6-2. Badosa secured her place with a straight-sets win over Slovakian qualifier Rebecca Sramkova. The top seed in the women's draw is Aryna Sabalenka, who recently defeated Pegula in New York for her third Grand Slam title. World number one Iga Swiatek is not participating in Beijing due to personal matters.
Text: Lara Palmer
29.09.2024
Rain disrupts Beijing schedule, but Alcaraz and Zhang Shuai shine; Pegula survives scare to advance