China Open: Jessica Pegula survives scare to reach last 16

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”.