• Zhang Shuai waves to her fans after losing to Konta.

Zhang Shuai waves to her fans after losing to Konta. (Photo : Reuters)

Zhang Shuai's Australian Open run has ended with a loss to unseeded Englishwoman Johanna Konta during the quarter-finals on Wednesday, as reported by the Xinhua News Agency.

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Zhang was not able to achieve her ninth straight win at this year's Open. Konta took advantage of Zhang's tired state, beating her opponent 6-4, 6-1.

Konta was able to race two breaks to the good during the opening set. While Zhang was able to mount a comeback, she was only able to pull one break back.

Konta, ranked 47 in the world, coasted after that, only dropping one game during the second set.

Konta's win makes her the first British woman to make a Grand Slam semi-final since 1983.

Zhang managed four wins in the span of 10 days after waiting eight years for her first win in a Grand Slam main draw.

However, her winning streak ended on Wednesday, being no match for Konta.

Even though she won straight sets, Konta said Zhang never allowed her to be comfortable.

"Zhang definitely didn't make it easy for me today," said Konta. "Every time I got a little ahead on the scoreboard she was constantly there."

The result was understandable, with Zhang having played an extra three matches compared with Konta in order to qualify. By the time the two faced off, Zhang looked drained, only producing 12 winners throughout the match.

While China no longer has a representative for the women's single draw, the pair of Xu Yifan and Zheng Saisai will play on Wednesday for the chance to playoff in the doubles final.

Konta's semi-final opponent will be Angelique Kerber, who during her quarter-final beat Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.

Kerber, who had never beaten Azarenka in any of their earlier six meetings, beat the Belarusian 6-3, 7-5 in an hour and 45 minutes.

The win brings Kerber to the semi-finals of a major championship for the first time since the U.S. Open in 2011.

Azarenka was the front-runner to challenge Serena Williams, the number one in the world, before her shocking loss to Kerber.