MELBOURNE — Eight years of grand slam failure pushed Zhang Shuai to the depths of despair but also fueled a rage that fired the Chinese qualifier's breakthrough at this year's Australian Open.
The 27-year-old from the northern port of Tianjin will meet rising American talent Madison Keys in the fourth round on Monday, having become just the fourth Chinese woman to reach the last 16 of a grand slam.
In snapping a run of 14 successive first-round exits at the grand slams, 133rd-ranked Zhang also shrugged a huge monkey from her back, with no other active player in the women's top 300 having borne such a record of underachievement at the majors.