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Zhang Shuai, the only Chinese women's player alive in the 2017 French Open, set her personal best record in eight outings in the tournament as she reached last 32 with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich here on Wednesday.
Zhang Shuai of China greets the spectators after the women's singles second round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus at the French Open Tennis Tournament 2017 in Paris, France, on May 31, 2017. Zhang Shuai won 2-1.
Zhang's previous best record came last year, when she lost the second round to Samantha Stosur of Australia. She shared two previous meetings with Sasnovich, both in Grand Slam tournaments, including her two-set win in Australian Open this year.
Zhang finished a total of four aces, with her win on first and second serve also bettering that of Sasnovich.
Two players tied 1-1 into the game, before Zhang took on a break to win three games in a row for a 4-1 lead. Another break earned her a 6-2 victory in the first set.
The Belarusian won the opening two games in the second, while Zhang made a quick response to level the score. However, Sasnovich rode on a three-game winning streak to pave the way for her comeback into the match.
Zhang got back the advantage in the decisive set, and when she was one point from the win, Sasnovich hit a poor backhand, which was finally ruled outside by the referee.
"Every time I play against her, I need to be pretty careful, because she is quite resilient," Zhang said of Sasnovich's performance.
"I need to do my best, and move forward step by step," added Zhang.
Chinese duo of Peng Shuai and Duan Yingying also recorded a victorious day during their first-time partnership in the doubles event, as they overcame Varvara Lepchenko and Evgeniya Rodina 6-1, 7-5.
Peng Shuai (R) and Duan Yingying of China compete during the women's doubles first round match against Varvara Lepchenko of the United States and Evgeniya Rodina of Russia at the French Open Tennis Tournament 2017 in Paris, France, on May 31, 2017. Peng Shuai and Duan Yingying won 2-0.
Peng, the two-time Grand Slam doubles winner, said that she did not focus too much on the result before Wednesday's matchup, and she planned to keep the same style.
"We will just enjoy our partnership on court, while keeping our eyes out of the result," she emphasized again after the win.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
