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topicnews · September 28, 2024

MATCH REPORT | 2024 China Open: Shuai Zhang shocks, Emma Navarro is eliminated with an unwanted series of defeats in front of her home crowd

MATCH REPORT | 2024 China Open: Shuai Zhang shocks, Emma Navarro is eliminated with an unwanted series of defeats in front of her home crowd

Emma Navarro seemed to be enjoying life in China, dancing with locals and playing table tennis. But on the tennis court it was exactly the opposite when the world number 8 suffered a bitter defeat at the China Open that night.
Navarro was defeated 6-4, 6-2 by Shuai Zhang, who lost a record 24 consecutive tennis matches over the past 19 months. But it seems she has now shed that burden after her win earlier in the week and is enjoying some real freedom on home soil.
She easily defeated the American, who now sees her chances of reaching the WTA Finals hanging in the balance as she will only play a handful of tournaments compared to the men for the rest of the season. But Navarro being Navarro, she will probably try to get to the WTA finals through smaller tournaments and any other route.

But in a week in which she could have caught up with Riyadh, especially with many of the big names absent, the loss proved embarrassing to a player who has survived on a sheltered pitch in the midst of her slump and who, despite being on her day Quality that has not been shown for over a year.

A crushing defeat and back to the drawing board. It’s the day when the big names lose with one exception: Greet Minnen sweeps Anastasia Potapova off the court in three sets. Yura Starodubtseva easily beat Katerina Siniakova. Only Diana Shnaider, who was already successful in China, impressed with a 6:2, 6:3 win. It turns out that the conditions are certainly good for shocks, and with Pegula and Gauff there could be even more today.

At the moment, however, Navarro is the main sufferer, and unexpectedly so against a player who until this week was the easiest to beat. Can she get even more wins now?

Wow. Wow. WOW! Zhang Shuai, who has lost a record 24 consecutive tennis matches over the past 19 months, easily beats world No. 8 Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-2 to reach the third round of the Beijing WTA 1000. Incredible performance. (and a huge blow to Emma’s WTA Finals chances)

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