Watch: China’s Zhang Gets Emotional After First Grand Slam Win

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Watch: China’s Zhang Gets Emotional After First Grand Slam Win

Shuai Zhang has an emotional victory over Halep #AusOpen https://t.co/tXDpUXlw3n
— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 19, 2016

China’s Shuai Zhang entered this year’s Australian Open with an 0-14 record at the majors. Nobody believed that she’d be able to get past second-seeded Simona Halep on Tuesday night in Melbourne. Except Zhang herself. The 27-year-old played convincing tennis the whole way, hitting 31 winners to just 11 for Halep, and converting five of her seven break points.

Halep’s lost marked the first time that a second seed was knocked out of the Australian Open in the first time since 1979.

Zhang Shuai def. Simona Halep. Last time a #WTA Top 2 seed lost in 1st round at #AusOpen was 1979 (No.1 seed Virginia Ruzici, l. Sawyer)
— Kevin Fischer (@Kfish_WTA) January 19, 2016

World No. 133 Zhang will next face Alize Cornet in the second round. The two highest seeds have been knocked out of this section of the draw, leaving 9th-seeded Karolina Pliskova as the highest-remaining seed in the quarter.