China Open: Alcaraz Advances, Zhang Extends Fairytale

Carlos Alcaraz barrelled into the China Open quarterfinals on Sunday in just 56 minutes as 595th-ranked Zhang Shuai extended her historic run.

Rain in Beijing played havoc with the schedule but four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz made rapid progress under the roof of the Diamond Court with a 6-1, 6-2 demolition of Tallon Griekspoor.The 39th-ranked Dutchman looked shellshocked.

“I just want to keep going, to keep getting more and more wins,” said Alcaraz after racking up his 200th tour-level victory.

Alcaraz, the second seed behind Jannik Sinner, faces seventh-seeded Karen Khachanov next after an ominous warning of intent from the 21-year-old Spaniard.
Alcaraz, beaten in the second round of the recent US Open, conceded that the “last couple of tournaments didn’t feel as good as I wanted”.

“Right now I feel ready, I feel good. I feel like my tennis came again,” he said.

The Russian Khachanov booked his place with a hard-fought 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (11/9) victory over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo.

In the only other match completed on the day in the men’s draw, Chinese wildcard Bu Yunchaokete pulled off a shock 6-2, 6-4 win over Italian sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti.

There was home joy too in the women’s draw as another Chinese wildcard, Zhang Shuai, reached the last 16 to add another chapter to her fairytale tournament.

The 35-year-old had not won a singles match in more than 600 days when she arrived at the prestigious WTA 1000 event last week.

The two-time Grand Slam singles quarterfinalist, who has been plagued by injuries, has now won three matches in a row after a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of Belgium’s Greet Minnen.

Zhang, who faced Minnen as the lowest-ranked player to reach the China Open third round in the tournament’s history, faces Poland’s 23rd seed Magdalena Frech next.

Zhang hails from Tianjin, near Beijing, and said she felt very much at home on the hard courts of the Chinese capital.