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Badosa Ends Zhang's Resurgence at China Open

Paula Badosa of Spain celebrates after winning the China Open tennis tournament women's singles match against Zhang Shuai of China at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Paula Badosa of Spain celebrates after winning the China Open tennis tournament women's singles match against Zhang Shuai of China at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
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Badosa Ends Zhang's Resurgence at China Open

Paula Badosa of Spain celebrates after winning the China Open tennis tournament women's singles match against Zhang Shuai of China at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Paula Badosa of Spain celebrates after winning the China Open tennis tournament women's singles match against Zhang Shuai of China at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Zhang Shuai’s drought-busting week came to a shuddering halt as Paula Badosa continued her own resurgence in a 6-1, 7-6 (4) victory to make the China Open semifinals on Thursday.
The 19th-ranked Spaniard has won 28 of her last 35 matches dating to May and made the semifinals of three of her past five tournaments. There was also a run to the US Open quarterfinals last month.
But the story of the week has been the 35-year-old Zhang, who entered the China Open on a 24-match losing streak — the second longest in the Open era — and ranked No. 595. She didn't drop a set in four matches this week.
The Chinese wild card had no answer, though, to Badosa's fast start as the Spaniard made three service breaks to comfortably claim the opening set.
It was much closer in the second set as Badosa found herself down 3-1. She rallied and edged Zhang in the tiebreak.
The former No. 2-ranked Badosa will play No. 6 Coco Gauff or No. 115 Yuliia Starodubtseva, who play later Thursday.
Gauff advanced to the quarterfinals after four-time major winner Naomi Osaka was forced to retire because of a lower back injury. The American helped carry Osaka’s bags off the court.
Shanghai Masters Italy's Matteo Berrettini bounced back from the disappointment of an injury ending his Japan Open last week by squeezing past Christopher O'Connell 7-6, (9) 7-6 (6) in the Shanghai first round.
The Italian, who retired with an abdominal injury in the second round in Tokyo last Friday, had his fitness given a stern examination by the Australian in a lung-busting match lasting two hours, 13 minutes.
Next up for the former Wimbledon finalist is No. 14-ranked Holger Rune.
Other first-round winners included Marcos Giron, David Goffin, Jaume Munar, Zhou Yi, Jakub Mensik and Miomir Kecmanovic.
The 32 seeded players received a first-round bye, including top-ranked Jannik Sinner and second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz, who won the China Open against the Italian on Wednesday. Sinner starts against Taro Daniel of Japan, and Alcaraz faces Shang Juncheng of China.

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Sinner to Play Alcaraz in China Open Final

Italy's Jannik Sinner hits a return to China's Bu Yunchaokete during their men's singles semi-final match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 1, 2024. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)
Italy's Jannik Sinner hits a return to China's Bu Yunchaokete during their men's singles semi-final match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 1, 2024. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)
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Sinner to Play Alcaraz in China Open Final

Italy's Jannik Sinner hits a return to China's Bu Yunchaokete during their men's singles semi-final match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 1, 2024. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)
Italy's Jannik Sinner hits a return to China's Bu Yunchaokete during their men's singles semi-final match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on October 1, 2024. (Photo by WANG Zhao / AFP)

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner will play rival Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the China Open after recording a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory over home favorite Bu Yunchaokete on Tuesday.
Sinner and Alcaraz accounted for all four Grand Slam titles this year between them. Alcaraz leads the head-to-head series 5-4 — including wins at both their meetings this year — but Sinner doesn't believe that recent history will have a bearing on Wednesday's final.
“We know each other very well now, but every match is different, so the situation on the court is also a bit different than it was the last two matches,” The Associated Press quoted Sinner as saying.
The 23-year-old Italian is the defending champion and hasn't appeared distracted by the World Anti-Doping Agency announcing Saturday it was seeking a ban of one to two years for the US Open champion, who tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March.
Chinese wild card Yunchaokete, ranked 96th, couldn't take any of his three break-point chances in the first set.
Sinner’s experience proved crucial during the pivotal moments, especially in the second-set tiebreaker, where he surged to a 6-1 lead.
Earlier, third-ranked Alcaraz's athleticism was again on show as he advanced to the final with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Daniil Medvedev.
“I felt great on the court once again, so I’m really happy about it,” Alcaraz said. “I couldn’t ask for a better semifinal.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion — including this year's French Open and Wimbledon — extended his head-to-head record against the Russian to 6-2.
The 21-year-old Spaniard found his way through a testing first set that had five breaks of serve, but crucially it was Alcaraz's third service break in the 12th game that secured the set.
Alcaraz has now won eight straight matches — across the Davis Cup, Laver Cup and in Beijing — since his loss to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round at the US Open.
Osaka out with back injury Coco Gauff advanced to the quarterfinals when Naomi Osaka retired at 3-6, 6-4 because of a lower back injury.
Osaka, a four-time major champion, was leading 4-3 in the second set before Gauff won three straight games.
The sixth-ranked Gauff then helped carry Osaka's bags off the court.
Gauff hit six aces compared to Osaka’s one and improved to 3-2 over her opponent at WTA tournaments.
She will next meet No. 115-ranked Yuliia Starodubtseva, who earlier upset No. 14 Anna Kalinskaya 7-5, 6-0.
Paula Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula to reach her eighth career quarterfinal at a WTA 1000-level event.
“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."
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.
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.
“In this draw, everyone has a higher ranking than me,” Zhang said. “Just step on court, just play. So I do not have much to think about, to prepare. I will just focus on myself.”
Japan Open Arthur Fils saved a championship point and rallied to beat Ugo Humbert 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 in the final of the Japan Open to earn his third tour-level title.
The championship point was in the second-set tiebreaker against his French compatriot.
The 20-year-old Fils struggled with an injury to his left leg for much of the second set and when trailing 4-3 in the second set — with three break points for his opponent — it looked almost certain that Humbert would go on to win his seventh final in seven appearances.
Fils defeated four top-20 opponents — US Open finalist Taylor Fritz, defending champion Ben Shelton, Holger Rune and Humbert — on his way to the title.