Wang Qiang has her first win over a top 20 player since beating Serena Williams at Melbourne Park in 2020 after upsetting 18th-seeded Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2.
It was Wang’s first win on tour since last year’s French Open, where she beat Hsieh Su-wei in the first round before losing to Gauff in the second.
Gauff saved four match points from 5-0 down on Monday but that was the only good news in a match where the American made 38 unforced errors.
“You know I lost two times against her last year so I just tried my best to focus on court,” Wang said.
French Open champion and fourth-seeded Barbora Krejcikova advanced with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Andrea Petkovic. Krejcikova lost to Paula Badosa in three sets at the Sydney WTA tune-up tournament final on Saturday.
