Shuai Zhang (Photo : Getty Images)
Zhang Shuai scored the best win of her career in this year's Australian Open after stunning WTA's world No. 2 Simona Halep in the first round 6-4 6-3.
Zhang, ranked No. 133 in the world, stunned Halep at the 2016 Australian Open as Chinese fans sat up to cheer their homegrown player.
The 26-year-old Chinese was emotional after her first round victory, breaking down in tears during a courtside interview.
"Today is the best moment of my career ... beating a top-two player," An emotional Zhang said, reports News. "I'm so happy, so excited."
Zhang had not won a Grand Slam match in 14 attempts until her biggest win in the first Grand Slam event of the year. She saved nine break points in a match that lasted for an hour and 18 minutes, orchestrating the second biggest shocker in the tournament behind Fernando Verdasco's stunning win over Rafael Nadal.
The victory felt like a "dream coming true" for Zhang, who revealed she almost retire from playing tennis if it weren't for the motivation she gets from her family and teammates.
"I think, oh, maybe this is last time in Australian Open, so I wanted them coming to maybe see last match in Melbourne," Zhang said, reports the New York Times. "This was my life, already like 20 years."
However, Zhang's Australian Open dream has just started as she gears up to face France's Alize Cornet, who only needed 49 minutes to crush Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski in the first round 6-1 6-0.
Cornet, aside from her tournament opener success, also came victorious last week when she defeated Eugenie Bouchard of Canada to claim her first WTA title of the year at the Hobart International.
Cornet may have gotten an unlikely assist from Zhang by defeating Halep, but the 25-year-old French should be cautious dealing with the Chinese, who staged one of several upsets in the tournament so far.
