Zhang pulls off shock win over fifth seed Muguruza

After a near-total wash out on Tuesday at the Qatar Total Open, the organisers heaved a huge sigh of relief after rain relented and most of the scheduled matches were completed yesterday.
To compensate for the loss of play on the second day, many players were listed to play two matches, some even three — having signed in for doubles too. The burden of playing two matches showed on some, while others were able to get through it.
For fifth seed Garbine Muguruza, the tournament ended early as the reigning French Open champion crashed out in the second round at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. The Spaniard had opened her campaign in the morning and had little trouble in a routine 6-3, 6-2 win over Cagla Buyukakcay of Turkey.
But Muguruza came up against a determined Shuai Zhang in the second round and the Chinese No.1 prevailed in three sets 7-6, 3-6, 7-5. For Zhang, ranked No. 31 in the world, last night’s win over No. 7 Muguruza is one of her biggest result on the WTA circuit as she booked her place in the quarter-finals in Doha.
Like her opponent, Zhang had won her first round match in the morning, beating Timea Babos of Hungary 7-6(3) 6-3.  Against Muguruza, the 28-year-old wrested the advantage from the beginning — in the first meeting between the pair.
Zhang secured back-to-back breaks to take a surprise early 4-1 lead, thanks to some fine shots off the baseline. Muguruza’s fighting spirit helped her break back to love and restore parity as a tight opening set went to a tie-break.
Zhang found her groove right when it mattered, acing her first serves to take the first set, even as Muguruza had double faulted on set point.
In the second set, Muguruza made a crucial break at 4-2 as Zhang hit a forehand long. The single break was enough for the Spaniard to serve out and take the match to a deciding set.
In a see-saw third set, Zhang took advantage of Muguruza’s weak second serve, to break and take a 5-2 lead. But Muguruza fought back, the 23-year-old pulling things back to level with some breath taking shots.
But the Spaniard fizzled out when it mattered, the fatigue catching up with her, having played Fed Cup ties on the weekend. Zhang, making only her third appearance in Doha, made a further break at 6-5 to seal the victory for her best showing till date.
Up next for Zhang is either No.2 seed Czech Karolina Pliskova or Caroline Garcia of France. For Muguruza, though, it is back to drawing board as she said she is looking forward to doing well in Dubai next week.
“I woke up thinking that I was going to have a very tough day,” Muguruza said after her loss. “I warmed up at 9 in the morning. I played pretty good the first match. The second one, Zhang played very well. The conditions were difficult. There was a lot of wind. She was finding her shots. At the end I think it was two points difference and they went to her,” the Australian Open quarter-finalist added.
While the early schedule meant first round matches were completed yesterday, only three second round matches were possible after heavens opened up to halt the evening session.

‘Tough one’
Third seed Dominika Cibulkova and Olympic champion Monica Puig were lucky ones to guarantee their place in the last eight. Slovakia’s Cibulkova, who had a bye in the first round, survived a scare against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia before she came through 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.
“I knew it’s going to be a tough one,” said Cibulkova. “She’s in a great form and played in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open. I knew when she’s in good form, it’s going to be really tough.  I was really happy with the way I closed the match and with the way I played in the third set.”
Puig of Puerto Rico also made it through to the quarter-finals, after Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan retired in the third set of their match with the score at 6-4, 4-6, 2-1.
In fact, Putintseva had entered the second round in the morning after seventh seed Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland withdrew from the tournament due to thigh injury, having lost the first set 1-6.
Puig faces a potential next round clash with top seed Angelique Kerber, who was listed to play Russian teen Daria Kasatkina late last night, but will only kick-start her tournament today.
Close friends Caroline Wozniacki and Agnieszka Radwanska were also lined up to play at the centre court, but they could only warm-up before they had to walk off the court.
Earlier yesterday, Denmark’s Wozniacki twice came from 0-2 down to beat Kiki Bertens, 6-2, 6-3 in the first round. This was the first time the pair had met since 2012 and World No. 18 Wozniacki picked up from where she left off in Montreal a little over four years ago as she completed an easy win.
With only three days of competition remaining, the organisers are racing against time to complete the matches.
There are still five second round matches to be played and with rain not showing any signs of letting up over the next two days, the organisers have a huge task on their hand.

Results
Third day results of the Qatar Open (x denotes seeding):
2nd rd
Mónica Puig (PUR) bt Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 6-2, 4-6, 2-1 - retired
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x3) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) 7-5, 2-6, 6-2
Shuai Zhang (CHN) bt Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP x5) 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 7-5

1st rd
Darya Kasatkina (RUS) bt Irina Begu (ROM) 3-6, 6-1, 7-5
Mónica Puig (PUR) bt Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-0, 6-1
Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) bt Timea Bacsinszky (SUI x7) 6-1 - retired
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) bt Kiki Bertens (NED) 6-2, 6-3
Lauren Davis (USA) bt Roberta Vinci (ITA) 6-2, 6-3
Elena Vesnina (RUS x6) bt Christina McHale (USA) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (9/7)
Barbora Strýcová (CZE x8) bt Fatma Al Nabhani (OMA) 6-3, 6-0
Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP x5) bt Çagla Büyükakçay (TUR) 6-3, 6-2
Shuai Zhang (CHN) bt Tímea Babos (HUN) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3
Caroline Garcia (FRA) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3