Sonay Kartal says she is "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.
"The scoreline was closer than it felt like playing," said Kartal.