Sonay Kartal, the British player who defeated world number five Mirra Andreeva to reach the China Open quarter-finals, took the biggest blow of her career.
In a thrilling battle that spanned two hours and 25 minutes, the British number four defeated the Russian 7-5, 2-6, 7-5.
Kartal’s victory against a player in the top 10 marks her first appearance in the final eight of a WTA 1000 competition.
Andrea is a top-10 player for a very good reason, Kartal said.
She gave me my best tennis today, so I’m grateful for it, but I’m so happy with what I did.
Meanwhile, American 16th seed Emma Navarro shocked world number two Iga Swiatek toppled her.
Kartal, 23, fought off the fourth seed in the first set from her stand-alone break point.
Andreeva dominated the second set, breaking twice as Kartal struggled to get a first serve percentage of 60%.
Kartal, the 81-year-old world number, showed resilience in the third set as Andreeva struggled to sustain her momentum.
Kartal had a second chance after failing to take match point when Andreeva fired wide.
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Source: BBC
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