US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula survived a scare to reach the last 16 of the China Open on Sunday and a meeting with Spain’s Paula Badosa.
The second seed from the United States fought back in Beijing to beat Veronika Kudermetova 6-7 (9/11), 6-1, 6-2.
The first set was a mammoth one, the 39th-ranked Russian prevailing in the tie break to take an early lead.
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Pegula struck back in the second set, then carried that momentum into the deciding set and grabbed an early break to giver her a sniff of victory.
The 30-year-old Pegula, who is chasing a seventh WTA Tour title, sealed the deal with her third match point when she sent down an ace.
The 19th-ranked Badosa booked her place in the next round with a straight-sets win over Slovakian qualifier Rebecca Sramkova.
The top seed in Beijing is Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in New York earlier this month for her third Grand Slam crown.
World number one Iga Swiatek is not in Beijing because of “personal matters”.
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