Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai fought back from a set down to upset injured Madison Keys 3-6 6-3 6-3 in the last match of the women’s fourth round at the Rod Laver Arena. Zhang Shuai, who had never won a Main Draw match at Grand Slam level before this year’s Australian Open as she lost all her previous 14 matches in a Major, will take on Johanna Konta who beat last year’s Australian Open semifinalist Ekaterina Makarova.
Keys got an early break of serve in the opening set and held her service games until 5-3 when Keys broke serve again to take the first set.
Zhang Shuai converted her second break point of the match in the third game of the second set.
Keys was hampered by an upper left leg injury and left the court to get her thigh strapped. The injury affected Keys who made a double fault to hand the second set to Zhang Shuai.
Keys fought back in the third set and broke serve to take a 2-1 lead but was on the verge of withdrawing from the match. Despite the injury the young US player battled on but Shuai Zhang reeled off five of the next six games with a break of serve in the 8th game to keep her Australian Open dream alive.
Zhang Shuai has become the fourth Chinese player to reach the quarter final at Grand Slam tournament. Her next rival Johanna Konta will also play her first quarter final in a Major.
Zhang came close to being knocked out in the qualifying round when her rival Virginie Razzano served for the match in the third set in the last round of the qualifiers. Zhang Shuai upset Simona Halep in the first round and dropped just one set in six matches in this tournament. Shuai has become the first qualifier to reach the quarter final at Grand Slam level since 1990. She will bid to follow in the footsteps of her compatriot Li Na who won the Roland Garros in 2011 and the Australian Open in 204.
“It’s so tough to play against someone injured. Maybe two points you are feeling like you cannot play, and then the next three balls, you make two aces, one winner. You don’t know what’s going to happen. Last year this happened many times, and I’d almost win the match, but then I’d lose. This time I really tried to concentrate, and I am happy I won. After this tournament, I need a long break. I have already played seven matches. Before today, I was thinking: Okay, this is the final. When somebody already wins wins six matches at a Grand Slam, it’s already the final, right ? And at night, it felt like a final” said Zhang Shuai.
