No. 2 seed Jessica Pegula falls in fourth-round to No. 15 seed Paula Badosa

No. 15 seed Paula Badosa of Spain advances to the China Open quarter-finals in her first main draw appearance after knocking out No. 2 seed Jessica Pegula 6-4, 6-0 on Tuesday. Badosa took advantage of the American’s barrage of unforced errors in the 64-minute match. This is Badosa’s first win against Pegula after three previous losses.

Both players took time to find their rhythm in the first set. Badosa was able to take the first game after three missed shots from her opponent. The 30-year-old American soon bounced back, earning a pivotal service break in the third game after Badosa double faulted three times. Badosa’s service game looked shaky to start; she could hardly get her first serve over the net and had five double faults across the first set. This opened the door for Pegula, who was able to take a 3-1 lead. The 26-year-old Spaniard began to clean up her mistakes though. After gaining a service break in the sixth game, Badosa made her own run, winning three games and taking a 4-3 lead. The pair battled in the final games but Badosa ended up on top, winning the set 6-4.

The second set proved to be an entirely different story. Pegula struggled from the outset, allowing her opponent to break her serve in the second game. After Pegula quickly slipped to a 0-2 deficit, things kept getting worse. Pegula seemed to miss just about every point, hitting shot after shot into the net. The pair engaged in a long rally in the final point of the third game until Pegula yet again hit the ball into the net. In a rare emotional display, she slammed her racket on the ground. The American looked clearly disheartened and showed it in her play. Pegula’s unforced errors continued all the way through to the match point, with Badosa taking the set 6-0.

“Yesterday I prepared myself for a battle but I think today everything worked pretty well,” Badosa said afterward. “I thought every point was very important for me, especially against Jessica because she can come back at any moment.”

Pegula’s loss on the Diamond Court marks her first to a player from Spain (9-1) in her career. The American was coming off consecutive tournament finals in Cincinnati and the U.S. Open; she previously defeated Badosa in the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open.

Badosa’s win was her first over a Top 10 opponent since defeating Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in Rome last year. She has now reached the quarterfinals or better in three consecutive tournaments. Badosa will next face China’s Shuai Zhang in the quarterfinals.

– Reporting by Egan Ward