The 217-ranked qualifier stunned Alexandra Eala on Monday in Wuhan for her biggest career win.

Chris OddoOctober 12, 20262 minute read

World No. 217 Han Shi, 21, recorded the biggest win of her career and shook up the Wuhan draw on Monday as she rallied for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over 19th-ranked Alexandra Eala to reach the second round.

Shi, who qualified for the main draw, earned her third WTA-level main-draw win and her first against a Top 100 player in a main draw. She had previously earned Top 100 wins in qualifying at Wuhan, defeating Peyton Stearns and Kamilla Rakhimova.

The Wuhan debutante broke Eala’s serve three times in the final two sets to win in two hours and 27 minutes. She will face Leylah Fernandez in the second round.

“Actually, I wasn’t surprised at all to lose the first set, because my opponent is the No. 1 player in Asia right now. She’s also a Top 20 player,” she said.

Speaking in Chinese, Shi explained that she played with nothing to lose, and it paid off.

Shi broke open the match from 3-3 in the second set, breaking Eala twice in a row behind a barrage of forehands, and went on to win six consecutive games for a 3-0 lead in the third set. She would finish by winning nine of the final 12 games and was not broken in the second or third set.

During her post-match interview in Wuhan, Shi also reflected on her first-round loss to Beijing champion Zheng Qinwen at the China Open, saying she had learned a lot from the experience. She even joked with her team that she was an honorary Chinese No. 1 after the match, drawing laughter from the crowd.

“Actually, I was very happy with how I played that match against Zheng, because I felt I played extremely well,” she said. “I think in the third set, maybe my physical condition dropped off a little bit. And of course, I want to congratulate Qinwen on winning the China Open title.”

Against Eala, Shi said she took her time and tried to make the most of her opportunities, rather than rushing through another huge moment in her career.

“And when I saw opportunities, I tried to make sure I had the right mindset and stayed composed,” she said in Chinese.

Shi finished with 31 winners to Eala’s 20, while committing four fewer unforced errors than her opponent.