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“She’s one the of the players I never want to
face -- she’s very solid, hits very flat, changes very well
direction,,” said Badosa, who was 0-3 previously against Pegula.
“I prepared myself for a battle, but I think today everything
worked pretty well.
“Every point was very important for me, especially against
Jessica, because she can come back at any moment."
Badosa next faces 35-year-old Chinese player Zhang Shuai, who
continued her resurgence with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Magdalena
Frech of Poland.
Zhang entered the China Open on a 24-match losing streak and
ranked No. 595, but she's yet to drop a set in four matches this
week. That includes eliminating U.S. Open semifinalist Emma
Navarro in straight sets for her first win over a Top 10 player
in two years.
Zhang is now into her first women's tour quarterfinal since
Tokyo in 2022, and her first at a WTA 1000 tournament since
Cincinnati in the same year.
Later Tuesday, No. 14-ranked Anna Kalinskaya was scheduled to
meet Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine, before the marquee women's
match of the day between four-time major winner Naomi Osaka and
sixth-ranked Coco Gauff.
It will be the first meeting between the two Grand Slam
champions in more than two years, with the head-to-head series
tied at 2-2.
On the men's side, Carlos Alcaraz was playing fifth-ranked
Daniil Medvedev in the first semifinal, with the Spaniard
holding a 5-2 advantage in their head-to-head history.
Defending champion and top-ranked Janner Sinner was set to face
No. 96-ranked Bu Yunchaokete, who is playing in his first ATP
500 semifinal.
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