Badosa beats Kraus to reach Guangzhou quarters, Dart up next

Paula Badosa is through to the quarter-finals of the Guangzhou Open. On Wednesday the Spanish fifth seed beat Austria's Sinja Kraus 6-1, 6-4 in 1 hour and 7 minutes, according to Austrian outlet Laola1. She now plays Britain's Harriet Dart for a place in the semi-finals.

It was a confident win for the former World No. 2, who came into the WTA 250 event ranked No. 61. Spanish site Canal Tenis wrote that Badosa was back to her best level, especially in a one-sided first set.

Fast start, tested in the second set

Badosa broke Kraus twice in the opening set, which she took 6-1 in 25 minutes. She broke again early in the second set and seemed to be heading for a quick finish. Kraus then pushed back and levelled at 4-4, the best spell of her match. Badosa broke once more in the ninth game and served out the win.

It was Kraus's second defeat to Badosa this year; the Spaniard also won their quarter-final at the WTA 125 event in Austin in March. Badosa had won her Guangzhou opener earlier in the week.

Why Guangzhou matters to Badosa

Badosa has planned her autumn carefully. In early October, Punto de Break reported that she had skipped the WTA 1000 in Wuhan after a physically tough week in Beijing. Her team did not want to risk another setback. The plan was to play Osaka, then Guangzhou, then one final event in Chennai or Hong Kong. The goal is to climb inside the top 60, possibly reach the top 50, and earn a better seeding for the 2027 Australian Open.

Osaka did not go to plan. She lost in the first round there last week, and that made this week in China more important. Two straight-set wins have now given her season-ending swing the momentum it needed. Punto de Break called the Guangzhou field relatively weak, which makes Badosa one of the favourites for the title.

Dart up next after upsetting the No. 2 seed

Badosa's quarter-final opponent got through the toughest match of the round. Harriet Dart beat No. 2 seed Janice Tjen 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, which removes one of the two players Punto de Break had named as the main favourites before the event. Badosa's possible quarter-final against Tjen will not happen, and she now faces a player coming off the biggest win of her week.

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China's Shi Han is also in the last eight after a 7-5, 6-4 win over Dayana Yastremska. That gives the home crowd someone to support in the second half of the tournament.

Mixed day for Spain in Asia

The news was less good for Spain in Japan. Cristina Bucsa lost to Australia's Maya Joint in a three-set second-round match at the WTA event in Tokyo. Bucsa, an Olympic doubles medallist, had beaten France's Diane Parry in the first round. Her defeat means there are no Spanish players left in the Tokyo singles draw.

For Badosa, the next test is Dart in the Guangzhou quarter-finals. Spanish media expect that match on Friday.