Zhang Shuai, ranked 595th, secured a remarkable victory by defeating US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-2 in Beijing on Friday. At 35, Zhang has advanced to round three of the China Open, making her the lowest-ranked player to compete in her home tournament's main draw. Earlier this week, she halted a streak of 24 defeats on the WTA Tour by winning her first singles match since January 2023.

Zhang stuns Top -100 stars to make it to the third round

In a surprising turn of events, the former top-25 player entered the prestigious WTA 1000 event as a wildcard and secured a decisive victory over the 65th-ranked American McCartney Kessler in straight sets.

Despite injuries, Zhang, a two-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist, repeated this feat with an unexpected win over the American sixth seed Navarro.

Zhang is now set to square off against either the 28th-seeded Russian Anastasia Potapova or Belgium's Greet Minnen in the upcoming match.

On Wednesday, Zhang ended her long international ordeal by defeating American McCartney Kessler in the first round of the WTA 1000 event with scores of 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1).

Zhang's Victory sets new records 

In addition, Zhang's recent victory over Navarro means that she has emerged victorious in three of her last four matches against Top 10 players.

Zhang's recent victory over Navarro marks a significant milestone, occurring 15 years after her initial Top 10 win. Her impressive track record now includes a total of nine career Top 10 victories, with eight on hard courts, six in Asia, and four in China, all of which were achieved in Beijing. Furthermore, she has secured consecutive wins for the first time since her notable three-match winning streak that propelled her to the fourth round of the 2023 Australian Open.

In defeating Emma Navarro, Shuai Zhang ranked 595, is the lowest-ranked player to defeat a top-10 at the China Open since the inception of the tournament in 2004.