- Nuking a huge asteroid could save Earth, lab experiment suggests
- Six hurt in Ecuador as firefighters battle blazes choking capital
- Florida girds for arrival of Helene as powerful hurricane
- German prosecutors charge three in Schumacher blackmail case
- Restoring nature, 'adaptation' helped limit Storm Boris impact
- Son says Spurs team-mate Bentancur 'almost cried' over alleged racial slur
- Harris and Trump target economy in close US election battle
- Zelensky alleges Russia plot on nuclear plants in defiant UN address
- 'Worst crisis': German Greens leaders quit after election losses
- Israel puts troops on alert for entry into Lebanon
- 'The UN has betrayed us': Israeli ambassador
- US new home sales slow slightly in August
- UN chief says sea level rise threatens 'rising tide of misery'
- US-China progress sparks hope for COP29, says Azerbaijan
- Zelensky says Russia planning attacks on Ukraine nuclear plants
- Film legend Bardot, nearing 90, enjoys her 'silent solitude'
- Walking on the Moon in Cologne: Europe's lunar life simulator
- Google files EU complaint over Microsoft cloud services
- Finnish zoo to return pandas to China early
- At last! China's Zhang Shuai ends 24-match losing streak
- Jacks says new-look England need time to master ODIs
- Madrid's Mbappe suffers thigh injury before Atletico derby
- Russian MPs back adoption ban on countries allowing gender reassignment
- France minister vows new immigration 'rules' after student murder
- EU states back plan to downgrade wolf protection status
- Unions vow 'bitter resistance' as Volkswagen talks begin
- Lady Gaga plants lipstick smile on 'Mona Lisa' in Louvre clip
- Man City confirm Rodri knee ligament injury
- Hezbollah's Fadi rockets: More power, little precision
- Naomi Osaka wants 'no regrets' after teaming up with Mouratoglou
- New Zealand flanker 'Braveheart' Sititi relishes his 'crazy' rise
- OECD calls for higher property taxes to fight debt
- Environmentalists smear Finland's parliament in red paint
- World Cup winner Varane retires
- Britain's Rightmove rejects higher £6.1-bn Murdoch bid
- Cuts, cash, credit: China's latest bid to jumpstart flagging economy
- Zelensky to take UN stage in plea to sustain support
- Leftist Sri Lanka leader stuck with painful IMF deal: analysts
- Cryptocurrency platform boss urges tighter regulation
- 'Crazy' tree planter greening Sao Paulo concrete jungle
- French champagne makers bid to protect seasonal workers from abuse
- Atletico Madrid president splits time between football and film
- Japan ruling party to hold 'toss-up' vote for next PM
- Alcaraz says 'a lot of players' agree after schedule 'kill us' comments
- Outdated rules, limited metro collide for 'unbearable' Athens gridlock
- Ninth body recovered in flood-hit Japan region
- China launches intercontinental missile into Pacific in rare test
- The EU vs X: How big could the fines be for Musk?
- Hefty Australian penguin chick 'Pesto' becomes star
- Fashion's fun 'Frankenstein' flies after Olympic triumph
RYCEF | 0% | 7.07 | $ | |
RBGPF | -1.04% | 59.48 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.08% | 25.12 | $ | |
RELX | -0.09% | 48.485 | $ | |
NGG | 0.16% | 70.225 | $ | |
VOD | 0.15% | 10.105 | $ | |
GSK | -0.39% | 40.82 | $ | |
RIO | 0.65% | 67.86 | $ | |
BP | -2.66% | 31.98 | $ | |
BTI | -0.14% | 38.045 | $ | |
SCS | -0.92% | 13 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.44% | 25.01 | $ | |
AZN | 0.74% | 77.445 | $ | |
BCC | -1.91% | 139.125 | $ | |
JRI | -0.15% | 13.4 | $ | |
BCE | -0.7% | 34.885 | $ |
At last! China's Zhang Shuai ends 24-match losing streak
Zhang Shuai won her first WTA Tour match since January 2023 when she triumphed at her home China Open on Wednesday to snap a painful run of 24 defeats.
The two-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist's previous singles victory came 603 days ago.
The 35-year-old tasted the winning feeling again with a hard-fought 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/1) win over the 65th-ranked American McCartney Kessler.
Zhang, a former top-25 player, made the last eight of the Australian Open in 2016 and Wimbledon three years later. She has also won two Grand Slam doubles titles.
However, she has been plagued by injuries in recent times and is now ranked 595, entering the prestigious WTA 1000 event in the Chinese capital as a wildcard.
She will face sixth seed Emma Navarro in the second round in Beijing.
In the Open Era, only one player has ever lost more than 24 matches in a row on the tour, excluding the Billie Jean King Cup, the WTA said.
That came in the early days of the tour, when Madeleine Pegel lost her first 29 WTA matches from 1968 to 1972.
Nogueira--PC