Carlos Alcaraz stormed into the China Open quarterfinals on Sunday, needing simply 56 minutes to dispatch Tallon Griekspoor, whereas world No. 595 Zhang Shuai continued her fairy-tale run.
Despite rain inflicting schedule disruptions in Beijing, the four-time Grand Slam champion wasted no time on Diamond Court, cruising to a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Griekspoor, ranked thirty ninth, was left shocked by Alcaraz’s relentless efficiency.
“I just want to keep going, to keep getting more and more wins,” mentioned Alcaraz after racking up his 2 hundredth tour-level victory.
Alcaraz, the second seed behind Jannik Sinner, faces seventh-seeded Karen Khachanov subsequent after delivering an ominous warning of intent.
Alcaraz, who was overwhelmed within the second spherical of the latest U.S. Open, conceded that “the last couple of tournaments didn’t feel as good as I wanted.”
“Right now, I feel ready, I feel good. I feel like my tennis came back,” he mentioned.
Khachanov booked his spot with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (11-9) victory over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.
In the one different accomplished males’s match, Chinese wildcard Bu Yunchaokete pulled off a shock 6-2, 6-4 win over Italian sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti.
Zhang’s fairy story
There was extra house pleasure within the ladies’s draw as Chinese wildcard Zhang Shuai reached the final 16, including one other chapter to her Cinderella-like match.
The 35-year-old, who had not gained a singles match in additional than 600 days earlier than arriving on the prestigious WTA 1000 occasion final week, has now gained three in a row after a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Belgium’s Greet Minnen.
Zhang, the lowest-ranked participant ever to succeed in the China Open third spherical, will subsequent face Poland’s twenty third seed Magdalena Frech.
Hailing from Tianjin, close to Beijing, Zhang mentioned she feels very a lot at house on the laborious courts of the Chinese capital.
So a lot in order that she jokingly in contrast herself to Rafael Nadal on the French Open.
“When I am on the court, I feel like Rafa Nadal on Court Philippe-Chatrier,” she laughed.
U.S. Open runner-up Jessica Pegula survived a scare to arrange a gathering with Spain’s Paula Badosa.
The second seed from the United States fought again to beat Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova 6-7 (11th of September), 6-1, 6-2.
Pegula, 30, is chasing her seventh WTA Tour title.
Badosa, ranked nineteenth, booked her place with a straight-sets win over Slovakian qualifier Rebecca Sramkova.
Also advancing was fourth seed Coco Gauff, who beat Britain’s Katie Boulter 7-5, 6-2.
Top ladies’s seed Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Pegula in New York earlier this month for her third Grand Slam crown, can be within the match.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is absent from Beijing on account of “personal matters.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com