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E-mail Xinhua, January 16, 2025
Chinese player Zhang Shuai's resurgence ended in disappointing fashion on Thursday, as she fell to 24th seed Yulia Putintseva at the Australian Open.
Zhang was comprehensively outplayed by the Kazakh 6-2, 6-1 in just 62 minutes, committing 32 unforced errors.
Putintseva, who finished with only five unforced errors, barely broke a sweat as she moved Zhang around the court with relentless efficiency.
Putintseva will next face ninth seed Daria Kasatkina, who earlier defeated China's Wang Yafan 6-2, 6-0.
The 204th-ranked Zhang had started the season strongly, earning her place in the draw through a wildcard and then beating world No. 47 McCartney Kessler in the first round.
However, Zhang's form deserted her against Putintseva, who won the first five games. Though Zhang briefly rallied with a break late in the opening set, Putintseva recovered to close it out.
Continuing to dominate, Putintseva broke Zhang's serve in the marathon first game of the second set and never looked back. A precise backhand winner down the line gave Putintseva a commanding 3-0 lead, leaving Zhang frustrated.
Zhang finally got on the board after a lengthy fifth game, but Putintseva wrapped up the victory, reaching the third round in Melbourne for the fourth time.
