Brighton and Hove tennis player Sonay Kartal said that she was “on the right path” to break into the world top 10 after her China Open run came to an end.
The British number four lost 6-3 6-4 to Linda Noskova as she exited at the quarter-final stage in Beijing.
The 23-year-old battled past world number five Mirra Andreeva in the previous round to claim the biggest scalp of her career.
And, despite coming unstuck against Noskova, the world number 81 says she can continue to climb the rankings.
Kartal, who trains at the Pavilion and Avenue (Pav and Ave) Tennis Club, in Hove, said: “The scoreline was closer than it felt like playing.
“I’m not not overly pleased with the performance today but, regardless, I had an incredible week.
“I think I’m on the right path. I think it’s given me a lot of confidence.
“I think I’ve proved to myself that if I just add one or two more things into my game, I can take my level to a top-10 level and a much higher level than I’m currently ranked at.”
Kartal lost her serve three times in the first set as she struggled to settle in against her Czech opponent although, overall, she didn’t play badly.
She improved in the second set, breaking Noskova’s serve to go 2-0 up.
But Noskova hit back to set up a semi-final match against Jessica Pegula.
The American beat compatriot Emma Navarro 7-6 (7-2) 2-6 1-6 in their last-eight tie.
