Raducanu eliminated by Pegula in Beijing China Open after Bucsa win

Emma Raducanu opened her China Open campaign with a straight sets victory on September 27 at the National Tennis Center in Beijing but was eliminated two days later after a dramatic third round loss to Jessica Pegula. The 22 year old, seeded 30th, beat Spain’s Cristina Bucsa 6-3, 6-3 to reach the last 32 before falling to the fifth seed Pegula 3-6, 7-6(9-7), 6-0 on September 29.

Raducanu, playing in Beijing for the first time at the WTA 1000 event, looked composed in her second round match against Bucsa. She lost serve only once, saved six break points — four of them in the opening game — and converted four aces into a 6-3, 6-3 win that advanced her to a matchup with a top-10 opponent. After the victory she said in her on-court interview, "Yeah, it was super difficult, Cristina was playing amazing today. Its my first time playing here in China, so Im very happy to have gotten over it, and after a tough one last week, to come back and bounce back. Im going to do my best, I really want to do well here. Im half Chinese, so its great to come back here." Her mother attended courtside and the crowd applauded when Raducanu addressed them in Mandarin.