Carlos Alcaraz stormed into the China Open quarter-finals on Sunday in just 56 minutes, while 595th-ranked Zhang Shuai continued her remarkable journey. Despite rain causing disruptions in Beijing, four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz swiftly dispatched Tallon Griekspoor with a 6-1, 6-2 victory under the roof of the Diamond Court. The 39th-ranked Dutchman appeared stunned by the outcome.
“I just want to keep going, to keep getting more and more wins,” Alcaraz remarked after achieving his 200th tour-level victory. As the second seed behind Jannik Sinner, he is set to face seventh-seeded Karen Khachanov next, following a determined statement from the 21-year-old Spaniard.
Alcaraz acknowledged that the “last couple of tournaments didn’t feel as good as I wanted,” but added, “Right now I feel ready, I feel good. I feel like my tennis came again.”
Khachanov secured his spot in the quarter-finals with a tough 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (11/9) win over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. In another men’s match completed that day, Chinese wildcard Bu Yunchaokete stunned Italian sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
In the women’s draw, there was excitement as another Chinese wildcard, Zhang Shuai, advanced to the last 16, adding another chapter to her fairytale tournament. The 35-year-old had not won a singles match in over 600 days before arriving at this prestigious WTA 1000 event last week.
Having overcome injuries, Zhang has now secured three consecutive wins after defeating Belgium’s Greet Minnen 6-2, 6-3. As the lowest-ranked player to reach the China Open third round in the tournament’s history, she expressed her enthusiasm for the next match against Poland’s 23rd seed Magdalena Frech. “I feel very much at home on the hard courts of the Chinese capital,” Zhang said, hailing from Tianjin, near Beijing.
Zhang Shuai felt so at home on the court that she jokingly compared herself to Spanish great Rafael Nadal on his favorite surface at the French Open. “When I am on the court, I feel so like Rafa Nadal on Court Philippe-Chatrier,” she laughed.
In other matches, US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula faced a tough challenge but managed to set up a meeting with Spain’s Paula Badosa. The second seed from the United States fought back to defeat Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova 6-7 (9/11), 6-1, 6-2. The 30-year-old Pegula is aiming for her seventh WTA Tour title.
Badosa, ranked 19th, secured her spot with a straight-sets victory over Slovakian qualifier Rebecca Sramkova. Fourth seed Coco Gauff also advanced after beating Britain’s Katie Boulter 7-5, 6-2.
Aryna Sabalenka, the top women’s seed in Beijing, triumphed over Pegula in New York earlier this month to claim her third Grand Slam title. Meanwhile, world number one Iga Swiatek is absent from the tournament due to “personal matters.”
