MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 18: Qiang Wang of China plays her first round match against Sloane Stephens of the United States during day one of the 2016 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. (Photo : Getty Images)
Chinese rising tennis star and qualifier Wang Qiang bagged an opening round win versus American Sloane Stephens on the first day of the Australian Open (AO), according to a report by Xinhua.
Stephens, who was an AO semi-finalist three years ago, was defeated by Wang in straight sets 6-3, 6-3,one of the biggest upsets of the tournament's opening day.
Wang controlled the game from the start and quickly overpowered Stephens, despite placing 76 spots below her opponent in the rankings. After winning the first set, Wang immediately broke Stephens for two times to eventually win the match.
According to Xinhua, Wang is the second player in the women's draw to have knocked out a seeded player. The first tennis player to do so was Margarita Gasparyan from Russia, who beat 17-seed Sara Errani.
24-year-old Wang considers her win against Stephens the best of her career. She has successfully breezed to the second round of the AO.
"(Stephens) is a good player . . . I just tried my best," Wang told the press after the opening match. "It was my first time playing at Hisense (Arena), so (I was) a little bit nervous."
A reporter compared Wang to two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na because of her impressive forehand action. This left Wang blushing.
Stephens, on the other hand, wasn't in such high spirits when talking to reporters after her defeat. She did, however, acknowledge Wang's talent.
"She's played all this week, three solid matches," 22-year-old Stephens told reporters on Monday, Jan. 18. "She played a really good match and I wish her well in the future."
For the second round, Wang will face German player Anna-Lena Friedsam, who progressed past the first round after defeating Lourdes Dominguez Lino 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-1 last Monday.
In other parts of the world, other athletes are not us lucky. Wang Yafan lost in her first Grand Slam, while Wu Di, China's only representative in the men's draw, was the first to be eliminated in the AO.
