The 595th-ranked Zhang Shuai, who earlier this week won her first match in more than 600 days, stunned US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-2 in Beijing on Friday.

The 35-year-old Zhang reached round three of the China Open, where she is the lowest-ranked player to ever compete in the main draw of her home tournament.

On Wednesday, Zhang won her first singles match since January 2023 to snap a painful run of 24 defeats on the WTA Tour.

Coming into the prestigious WTA 1000 event as a wildcard, the former top-25 player defeated the 65th-ranked American McCartney Kessler in straight sets.

Zhang, a two-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist who has been plagued by injuries, repeated the feat with a surprise victory over the American sixth seed Navarro. (AFP)