At 36, Zhang Shuai is still writing her tennis fairytale 🎾. After dropping the first set 3–6 against Veronika Erjavec, she flipped the script with grit and a 🔥 serve to clinch a 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 win at the Guangzhou Open. This marks her fifth quarterfinal appearance on the Chinese mainland leg of the China swing!
The match started off tight for Zhang, who fought hard in the opening set. She regrouped in set two, converting three of four break opportunities to level the match. In the decider, her first-serve points won soared above 80%, effectively shutting down Erjavec's comeback hopes.
With this win, Zhang keeps her tidy run alive: she's now won at least two singles matches at every stop on the China swing this year. Next up she'll face American Katie Volynets – get ready for a battle of power vs. poise!
In other action, Italy's rising star Elisabetta Cocciaretto edged out China's Wang Xiyu 6–3, 2–6, 6–3 in just over two hours. After grabbing the opener and dropping the second, Cocciaretto led 3–1 in the decider before a brief medical timeout. She then rattled off five straight games to close the match and set up a quarterfinal clash with Ann Li. Stay tuned for more epic tennis action! 🌟
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
