Zhang Shuai (L) of China and Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland shake hands after their Women's Singles first round match at Australian Open in Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 18, 2022. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
SYDNEY, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's women continue to show their mettle on day two of the Australian Open, as Zhang Shuai and Wang Xinyu both defeated their opponents in straight sets in the first round on Tuesday.
Despite being ranked more than 30 places below her opponent, world No. 74 Zhang dominated Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic, winning 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 17 minutes.
Zhang, 32, managed to break away early with strong smashes and consistent baseline play. In the second set she edged ahead with strong first serves and five aces, winning over 70 percent of her first serves.
Zhang now faces world No. 12 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in round two. Zhang lost both of her previous encounters to Rybakina in 2020.
Wang managed to close her game out in similar fashion, winning in straight sets against world No. 56 Ann Li of the United States.
The 20-year-old was made to work in a first set that went to a tiebreak, but found relatively smooth sailing in the second, winning 7-6 (5), 6-3.
Wang now faces a daunting second round clash with world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who beat Australia's Storm Sanders 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.
Elsewhere, Zheng Qinwen, Wang Qiang, and Wang Xiyu all defeated their round one opponents on day one of the Australian Open on Monday. ■
