Jessica Pegula, the US Open finalist, faced a surprising defeat in the round of 16 at the China Open on Tuesday, falling to Spain's Paula Badosa with a score of 6-4, 6-0. Badosa, the 15th seed, delivered an impressive performance, particularly dominating the second set, and will now advance to the quarterfinals to compete against either Poland's Magdalena Frech or China's Zhang Shuai.
Zhang, currently ranked 595th in the world, made history by becoming the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage of the tournament. Pegula entered the WTA 1000 event in Beijing as one of the top players on the tour after her recent success at the US Open, where she reached the final but was defeated in straight sets by Aryna Sabalenka.
In other matches, top seed Aryna Sabalenka is set to face American 18th seed Madison Keys in the round of 16. Notably, defending champion and world No. 1 Iga Swiatek is absent from the tournament due to "personal matters."
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