Wang Xinyu of China hits a shot against Jessica Pegula of the USA in the women's singles round of 16 at the Wuhan Open in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, October 10, 2024. /CFP
Wang Xinyu of China claimed a mild upset against second-seeded Jessica Pegula of the USA 6-3, 7-5 in the women's singles round of 16 at the Wuhan Open in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Paris Olympics women's singles gold medalist converted two service breaks in the first set, in the third and ninth games, to clinch the opener and take a 1-0 overall lead in the match.
The second set was even closer, as both players held their first three serves to leave the score level at 3-3. Wang converted a break point in the eighth game to go in front 5-3, but Pegula returned the favor in the ninth and then held serve to even things up again at 5-5.
Wang served out a love game in the 11th to grab the lead once more, and converted her fourth break point in the decisive 12th game to secure her first victory over a world top-three player, while also sealing her maiden appearance in the quarterfinals of a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 tournament.
"I think it was a close match today," Wang said at the post-match press conference. "I only converted one of two breaks in both sets and won the match in the final two games. I believe I did well in placing a lot of pressure on my opponent with my service returns."
Wang will face Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia in the quarterfinals. They have split their previous two meetings.
Zheng Qinwen of China hits a shot against Leylah Fernandez of Canada in the women's singles round of 16 at the Wuhan Open in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, October 10, 2024. /CFP
China's fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen advanced to the last eight as well, after battling back to knock out Leylah Fernandez of Canada 5-7, 6-3, 6-0.
The first set was tied at 5-5 after both players converted service breaks. Fernandez held serve in the 11th game to bring up set point and then exploited multiple unforced errors by Zheng to claim the frame and take a 1-0 lead in the match.
After improving her form in the second set, Zheng converted two break points and used a net-cord winner to send the contest into a decider.
Fernandez continued to surrender points on errors in the third set. Her double fault in the fourth game allowed Zheng to extend the lead to 4-0. Then in the sixth game, the Canadian hit the ball out of bounds on her final swing to end the match.
Zheng will face third-seeded Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the last eight.