MELBOURNE — Second seed Simona Halep continued a day of shocks at the Australian Open on Tuesday when she was knocked out in the first round by Zhang Shuai, going down 6-4 6-3 to the inspired Chinese qualifier.
Halep's stunning defeat by a woman 131 spots below her in the world rankings came after eighth seed Venus Williams and men's fifth seed Rafa Nadal had been sent packing on day two of the tournament.
The 24-year-old, who came to Melbourne nursing an Achilles injury and suffering from a cold, was on the back foot from the start as Zhang raced into a 3-0 lead in the opening set on Margaret Court Arena.