Tennis-Qualifier Shi stuns Eala in Wuhan Open

Qualifier Shi Han ​stunned Alexandra Eala, ​ranked 198 places ‌above her, ​in a 4-6 6-3 6-3 win at the Wuhan Open's ‌first round on Monday. China's Shi, ranked 217th in the world, stuck to her strategy of targeting ‌the edges of the court despite a first-set ‌loss to the 13th seed, and pushed Eala back with powerful serves as she stormed to victory, cheered ⁠on ​by the ⁠home crowd.

"I tried to push myself in the serve... ⁠tried my best to win," said the 21-year-old, who ​held her head in disbelief after her first ⁠win over a top-20 ranked opponent. The Philippines' Eala, who ⁠has ​risen to prominence with seven wins over top-10 ranked opponents this year, has struggled ⁠with her form over the last month, having also ⁠lost ⁠to 180th-ranked Tatiana Prozorova at the Singapore Open last month.