After seven years, Zhang Shuai returns to the Wuhan Open round of 16 for a revenge match, with netizens wondering: can she cause another upset against Gauff?

After beating world No. 64 Kostyuk, the 36-year-old Zhang Shuai returned to the Wuhan Open round of 16 after seven years, which led some fans and netizens to call her the "Upset Queen"!

In the opening round, she defeated the American heiress Navarro by staging an incredible comeback, winning six straight games after trailing 0-3 in the deciding set, which shocked and thrilled the public.

Thanks to this victory, Zhang Shuai has become the center of attention at the Wuhan Open as a Chinese player, with everyone eager to see how many more incredible moments the "Shuai Flower" will create at this year's 1000-level tournament.

Shortly after Zhang Shuai’s upset over Navarro, 35-year-old Romanian veteran Kostyuk became her opponent in the second round following Ostapenko's mid-match retirement.

Many believed that since Zhang Shuai could prevail against the young and strong Navarro, her chances against Kostyuk, who is closer to her own age, would be even better.

However, some remained cautious and advised against being overly optimistic.

Although Kostyuk seemed less competitive than Navarro, her first-round win over former French Open champion Ostapenko, including a bagel in the first set, showed that the Romanian veteran's form was not inferior to Zhang Shuai’s, so caution was necessary.

As it turned out, Zhang Shuai did win the match, but it was far from easy, with tense moments that made many fans and netizens break into a cold sweat.

From the start of the match against Kostyuk, Zhang Shuai quickly found her rhythm just like she did against Navarro, clearly aiming to match her best Wuhan Open performance ever with this win.

Kostyuk’s performance was indeed as tough as some had predicted before the match. Especially after being broken, she tried various ways to break back and restore balance, but Zhang Shuai’s steady play left the Romanian no chance, allowing Zhang to take the first set 6-4.

Kostyuk’s threat became very evident in the second set.

After losing the first set and facing the greatest pressure of the match, Kostyuk immediately adjusted her tactics: she first secured her service games and then tried to exploit Zhang Shuai’s fluctuations to find an opening.

The Romanian veteran’s patience paid off, as she managed to break Zhang Shuai’s serve and won the second set 6-3 to even the match.

The third set was arguably the most exciting and nerve-wracking part of the entire match.

Zhang Shuai quickly shook off the disappointment of losing the second set and came out firing in the decider, overwhelming Kostyuk early on. When Zhang took a 5-0 lead, everyone watching the live stream thought the match was nearly over.

Just as many were preparing to celebrate Zhang’s victory, she surprised everyone by losing four consecutive games, allowing the Romanian veteran to narrow the gap to 4-5, turning the match into a tense battle of nerves.

From a seemingly certain win to such a dramatic twist, the outcome became uncertain, and fans worried that if Zhang Shuai continued like this, Kostyuk might stage a comeback, wiping out all of Zhang’s previous efforts.

Fortunately, when it mattered most and Zhang needed to prove herself, she did not disappoint, ultimately clinching the match 6-4 in a thrilling finish.

After the match, some said that if the set had continued beyond the tenth game, they feared their hearts might not have handled the stress, joking that it was too much to bear.

With the win over Kostyuk, Zhang Shuai matched her best Wuhan Open result from 2018 by reaching the round of 16 again. Some pointed out that since Kostyuk is ranked higher than Zhang, this could also be considered an upset. “The question now is whether Zhang can continue this upset streak against the American Gauff?”

Facing world No. 3 Gauff in the third round is undoubtedly a tough challenge for Zhang Shuai.

Judging by Gauff’s dominant 6-1, 6-0 victory over Japan’s Momoka Naito in the second round, the American is in top form, making Zhang’s path to further advancement very difficult.

Additionally, Zhang Shuai has lost all three previous encounters with Gauff, so the Chinese veteran is clearly the underdog in this Wuhan Open showdown. However, some emphasize that with a strong mindset for revenge and good form, if Zhang plays with full determination and fights fiercely, Gauff might not hold up under pressure. If Gauff loses composure, Zhang’s chance for an upset naturally increases, making a surprise victory quite plausible. Let’s wait and see!(Source: Tennis Home; Author: Moonlit River’s Starry Sky)