Defiant History-maker Zhang Shuai Powers Into Beijing Last Eight

The 595th-ranked Zhang Shuai added another chapter to her renaissance as she rolled into the quarter-finals of her home China Open on Tuesday to make more history. Zhang’s 6-4, 6-2 victory over Magdalena Frech was her fourth win in Beijing and all in straight sets — having come into the event after losing 24 singles matches in a row.

The barren run lasting more than 600 days was the second-longest on the WTA Tour in the Open Era, which began in 1968.

The 35-year-old Zhang, a former two-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist who has been plagued by injury, again made a nonsense of her ranking against the world number 31 Frech from Poland.

Zhang, a former top-25 player who has won two major doubles titles, will face Spain’s 19th-ranked Paula Badosa in the last eight.

The lowest-ranked player to ever reach this stage of the China Open, Zhang raced away with the second set against Frech in front of a packed Beijing crowd on her country’s national day.

She had two match points when serving at 5-1. Frech just about held on, but it was only a temporary reprieve.

Zhang struck a defiant pose immediately afterwards, standing still with her arms crossed and beaming.

Badosa dumped out US Open finalist Jessica Pegula in convincing fashion, 6-4, 6-0 to make the second-seeded American the biggest casualty so far.

Pegula came into the WTA 1000 event as one of the form players on tour and having reached the final in New York this month, where she was beaten in straight sets by Aryna Sabalenka.

She was no match though for former world number two Badosa, who blitzed the second set after an even first.

Sabalenka, the top seed in the Chinese capital, plays American 18th seed Madison Keys in the last 16.

Defending champion and world number one Iga Swiatek is not involved because of “personal matters”.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)