World No.133 Zhang Shuai has shocked the second seed, Simona Halep with a 6-4, 6-3 demolition in the first round of the Australian Open.
Zhang started full of confidence, racing to a 4-0 lead, not letting the occasion get the better of her, despite never advancing to the second round of a Grand Slam in 14 attempts.
Howver, Halep managed to fight her way back into the match, getting the first set back on serve at 5-4, before Zhang broke Halep's serve again to claim the first set.
Zhang then broke Halep at 4-3 in the second set, before closing the match to record a memorable victory.
The 26-year-old Chinese played far above her ranking, matching Halep's hard hitting ground strokes and even over powering the Romanian at times, hitting 31 winners to 11. Zhang also proved far more clinical, winning five of seven break point opportunities, compared with Halep, who only converted three of 12 break points.
Zhang will now face Alice Cornet in the second round.
