Chinese tennis veteran Zhang Shuai demonstrated resilience at the Guangzhou Open on Thursday, overcoming Slovenia's Veronika Erjavec 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 to secure her fifth quarterfinal appearance at the tournament. The 36-year-old's hard-fought victory showcased her trademark determination as she rallied from a first-set deficit.
After struggling with unforced errors early, Zhang found her rhythm in the second set, converting three of four break points. The deciding set saw her dominate with an 80% first-serve win rate, effectively neutralizing Erjavec's challenge. This marks Zhang's fourth consecutive tournament in China this season with at least two singles wins.
In other matches, Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto edged out China's Wang Xiyu 6–3, 2–6, 6–3 in a grueling two-hour contest. Despite Wang's second-set resurgence, Cocciaretto regrouped after a medical timeout to claim victory. The results set up quarterfinal clashes between Zhang and American Katie Volynets, while Cocciaretto will face Ann Li.
