On January 20, 2025, Beijing time, the women's doubles round of 16 at the Australian Open has just concluded, with China's 36-year-old veteran Zhang Shuai partnering with French star Meladonovic in a major upset.
After falling behind 0-4 in the first set, they staged a remarkable comeback, winning five consecutive games and ultimately defeating the fifth-seeded Chan Hao-ching/Kichenok pair 7-6/6-2 with a total score of 2-0 to advance to the women's doubles quarterfinals!
After advancing to the quarterfinals, Zhang Shuai earned 430 world ranking points, bringing her world ranking to 24th. If she ultimately wins the championship, she will receive an additional 2000 world ranking points, further improving her world ranking.
In the quarterfinals, Zhang Shuai/Meladonovic will face the top-seeded Siniakova/Townsend pair. Although it will be challenging, Zhang Shuai's never-give-up spirit gives her a real chance to win the match!
The match lasted a total of 1 hour and 43 minutes. The Zhang Shuai team had a first serve success rate of 73%, a first serve point rate of 69%, a second serve win rate of 42%, made 6 double faults, had 29 winners, 21 unforced errors, and broke their opponents' serve 4 times.
The Chan Hao-ching team served 3 aces, had a first serve success rate of 68%, a first serve point rate of 58%, a second serve win rate of 36%, made 5 double faults, had 29 winners, 32 unforced errors, and broke serve twice.
First set: At the start of the match, the Zhang Shuai team was clearly suppressed by their opponents and could not play to their strengths. Instead, the other side played with great chemistry and momentum, quickly breaking the Zhang Shuai team twice to lead 0-4. Just when everyone thought the first set would be lost, the Zhang Shuai team did not give up. They began to play more patiently, winning five consecutive games to overtake the score at 5-4. The opponents then managed to hold one game to tie at 5-5. Both sides held serve to reach 6-6, dragging the match into a 6-6 tiebreak battle. Ultimately, the Zhang Shuai team won the first set 7-3!
Second set: The Zhang Shuai team capitalized on their momentum, winning four consecutive games to lead 4-0. The fifth-seeded team then held one game, but the Zhang Shuai team also held their serve to lead 5-1. Subsequently, both sides each won one game, with the Zhang Shuai team strongly taking the match 6-2 and confidently advancing to the quarterfinals!
Zhang Shuai has now advanced to the quarterfinals in both women's doubles and mixed doubles, becoming the Chinese player who has gone the farthest. After Zheng Qinwen's absence, Zhang Shuai has become the new leader, taking on the responsibility and carrying the weight.
At 36 years old this year, Zhang Shuai has really been through a lot and has been very impressive. We hope she can win both the women's doubles and mixed doubles championships at the Australian Open.