China's Shuai Zhang (L) shakes hands with the United States' Madison Keys after their fourth round match during day eight of the 2016 Australian Open. (Photo : Getty Images)
Chinese tennis player Zhang Shuai continues her remarkable advance in the 2016 Australian Open after she "unmercifully" vanquished world no. 17 Madison Keys of the USA, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, during their fourth round matchup at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park on Monday night.
Xinhuanet reported that Zhang, currently ranked 133rd in the world, "has shown no mercy to injury-ravaged" Keys to overturn a match where she lost the first set.
The 27-year-old Tianjin, China native dropped the first set, 3-6, after the 20-year-old American unleashed her "powerful groundstrokes that Zhang had trouble returning, breaking the Chinese player at love in the opening game of the match," as per The Guardian.
However, Keys started to feel some pain in her left leg from the beginning of the second set onward. A medical timeout was taken to have her upper left thigh bandaged, but still the Rock Island, Illinois native struggled through it, having trouble "putting any weight on her leg to serve and looked increasingly in pain as the match wore on".
Zhang took the second, 6-3.
The American looked like she was feeling better during the third set, breaking Zhang to take a 2-1, but another medical timeout was called to treat her left leg. From there, she valiantly finished the match with weak, slicing shots that had no power while looking extremely disappointed and tears falling down her cheeks.
Zhang, who took the third set, 6-3, to conclude the match, said that she had trouble finishing Keys off during the latter part of the match because she somehow felt her pain.
"It's so tough to play against someone (injured) because ... I saw her feel more pain," Zhang said after the match. "Maybe (for) two points you're feeling like (they) cannot play, and then next three balls, pong, pong, pong, make two aces (and) one winner. So, so tough. You don't know what's (going to) happen."
Keys told reporters in the post-match interview that she wanted to keep on playing because "one, I hate retiring. Two, you don't want to do that to someone who is trying to get into the quarterfinals."
Zhang entered the tournament as a qualifier nine days ago and after an incredible run of seven straight wins, she is now headed to the quarterfinals to face world no. 47 Johanna Konta of the UK, who is her regular practice partner and conqueror of compatriot Zheng Saisai in the second round.
