World No. 74 Zheng Qinven was thrilled after clinching the biggest victory of her career on Thursday as she recovered from a set and a break down to upset Simona Halep.
Halep, the 2018 French Open champion, appeared to be heading toward a comfortable straight-set win but Zheng stormed back to beat the Romanian 2-6 6-2 6-1.
Halep got off to a fast start to the match, breaking Zheng twice to easily win the first set.
After winning the first set, Halep claimed the first break of the second set in the third game to take a 2-1 lead.
Down by a set and a break, Zheng started playing much better as she won the following nine games to completely overturn the deficit and take the lead.
Halep served out the fourth game of the third set to end Zheng’s run of eight games but it didn’t change much as the Chinese won the following three games to complete a comeback win.
Zheng: Happy I was able to stay focused and escape with a win
“I feel really nice,” Zheng said, per the WTA website. “It’s a second Grand Slam for me, so I enjoy every chance that I stand on court. I try to give my best like always and I’m glad [about] my performance today.”
Earlier this year, Halep claimed a routine 6-3 6-2 win over Zheng at the Melbourne Summer Set 1.
“In [their Melbourne match] I learned a lot, that she was a very consistent player, and in that moment I [didn’t] have too much patience on court,” Zheng said. “This time I tried to stay with her more on court, trying to be more patient, find the chance to win the rally, and that’s what I learned. So I’m glad that I can perform on court today, and that’s how I got the win.”
Zheng plays next Alize Cornet, who defeated Jelena Ostapenko.