BEIJING -- Bianca Andreescu's winning streak is over.
The Canadian lost 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to world No. 4 Naomi Osaka of Japan in a China Open quarterfinal on Friday, ending Andreescu's win streak at a WTA Tour season-high 17 matches.
Andreescu, ranked sixth in the world, suffered her first loss in nine matches this year against a top-10 opponent.
It also ended Andreescu's run of 13 consecutive wins in three-set matches.
Osaka, 21, had her seventh and final ace on her third match point to prevail in the first career meeting between two of the sport's top players.
The Andreescu-Osaka match featured the winners of the past three hard-court Grand Slams -- the 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won this year's U.S. Open, while Osaka won the 2019 Australian Open and the 2018 U.S. Open.
Osaka will face No. 16 seed/defending champion Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in the semifinals of the US$8.285 million China Open on Saturday.
The other semifinal of the WTA Premier-Mandatory event pits top-ranked Ash Barty of Australia against No. 8 seed Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands.
Barty reached the semifinals in the draw by beating Petra Kvitova 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
"From my opinion, that was one of the highest quality matches I played all year," said Barty, the French Open champion. "Petra always has a way of bringing out the best in me, she really does."
Barty converted three of her six break points while Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, was two for seven.
Bertens defeated Elina Svitolina 7-6 (6), 6-2.
"I think this week I played some better tennis again," said Bertens, who amassed 36 winners to Svitolina's 16. "I think then with some pressure and playing better all the time, it's good for me. It says for myself that I was growing a lot over the last few years."
Andreescu's ranking could be fourth (which would be an all-time high for a Canadian woman), fifth or sixth next week, depending on how the tournament plays out.
If Osaka wins her semi, Andreescu would be no better than fifth next week. If Osaka prevails in the semi and Bertens wins the tournament, Andreescu would stay at No. 6.
On the men's side, Andy Murray's run at the China Open is over.
The former No. 1, who had won consecutive singles matches for the first time since undergoing hip surgery in January, lost to top-seeded Dominic Thiem 6-2, 7-6 (3) Friday in the quarterfinals.
Thiem broke the 32-year-old Murray in the first game of the match, but the British player made things more difficult in the second set, testing his younger opponent's nerve in finishing out the match.
Also, Karen Khachanov beat Fabio Fognini 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2019
