Emma Navarro has suffered an early upset at the China Open after losing her first match to Shuai Zhang.
Navarro just enjoyed a ‘crazy’ US Open run, with the American reaching the semi-finals in New York earlier this month.
Aryna Sabalenka was full of praise for Navarro before beating her fellow WTA star to secure a final spot against Jessica Pegula, which she won.
After shining in Queens, Navarro would have been eyeing a lengthy run at the China Open, but she has now lost in the round of 64.
Making the manner of the defeat more shocking was the form of her opponent, with Zhang only just ending a 24-losing streak.
Shuai Zhang breaks China Open record with win over Emma Navarro
She beat McCartney Kessler in the first round of the China Open, having gone 603 days without a singles victory.
Zhang fell to 595th in the world due to that poor run, but the win over Navarro means she has become the lowest-ranked player to beat a top-10 player at the China Open since its inception in 2004.
Emma Navarro suffers shock China Open exit
Zhang decided to take a break from the game after losing 16 successive matches, with eight further losses arriving upon her return.
But those dark days are now behind her, with Zhang soaring past the American 6-4, 6-2 in Beijing to reach the third round.
The China Open sixth seed meanwhile will be hugely frustrated with her display, with Navarro just climbed to a career-high eighth place in the WTA rankings.
There is, of course, plenty more to come in the near future from the 23-year-old, who has enjoyed a stellar year so far.
She progressed superbly at the four Grand Slams, starting with a third round exit at the Australian Open before finishing in the US Open semi-finals.
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