Veteran tennis star Zhang Shuai proved age is just a number as she clawed her way to a thrilling victory at the Guangzhou Open on Thursday! 🏃♀️ The 36-year-old Chinese player rallied from a set down to defeat Slovenia's Veronika Erjavec 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, booking her fifth quarterfinal spot at this WTA tournament.
After dropping the first set, Zhang turned up the heat 🔥 – converting three of four break points in the second set before unleashing her secret weapon: a red-hot first serve that won over 80% of points in the decider. Talk about leveling up! 🎯
This marks Zhang's fourth straight tournament in China with multiple singles wins this season. Next up? A showdown with American rising star Katie Volynets. 👀
In other action, Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto survived a rollercoaster match against China's Wang Xiyu (6-3, 2-6, 6-3). After a mid-match medical timeout, Cocciaretto powered through five straight games to set up a quarterfinal clash with Ann Li. 💪
