Zhang upsets Navarro, Paolini eases past Hon to reach Merida quarterfinals

Zhang Shuai came through qualifying to reach the main draw in Merida and is now into the quarterfinals after knocking off defending champion Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour and 23 minutes on Thursday night. She joined Jasmine Paolini, who raced past Priscilla Hon 6-0, 6-2 in 71 minutes in the first night-session match on Estadio.

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The 37-year-old rallied from a break down in each set. She trailed 4-1 in the opener before reeling off five straight games to close out the set and then won five of the last six from 3-1 down in the second to secure her place in the last eight. It’s her third win in three meetings with Navarro at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level.

As for why she matches up so well against the American, Zhang said she’s not sure herself.

“I don’t really know because during the match I was thinking the same question,” Zhang said in her on-court interview. “I didn’t do anything special. Maybe I like (how she hits) her balls and she doesn’t like my balls. Yeah, I don’t really know, but I just played my game, tried to focus on myself and that was a great match, 4-1 down and 3-1 down in the second set.”

It’s Zhang’s first WTA singles quarterfinal since reaching the semis on home soil in Guangzhou last October, and it comes on the heels of four consecutive straight-set wins between qualifying and the main draw.

On Thursday, she got the job done with clean ball striking and efficient serving, finishing with 17 winners to just 10 unforced errors while winning 68% of her first-serve points and 57% on her second serve.

Her reward for earning her first Top 20 victory since Wuhan last October -- also against Navarro -- is a meeting with fellow qualifier Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva in the quarterfinals. The two have yet to face one another at the WTA level.

Paolini wins on tournament debut in Merida

Paolini was able to score a straight-sets victory of her own earlier in the evening, defeating Hon to advance to her first quarterfinal of the season.

The top seed had last reached a quarterfinal in October in Ningbo, but it was clear from the opening point she had both the touch and good fortune needed to move past the lucky loser. A net cord that dropped onto Hon’s side of the court gave Paolini the first point of the match, and after holding, she broke the Australian for a 2-0 lead. 

That sparked an eight-game run to open the match. Hon broke early in the second set to get on the board and close the gap to 2-1, but the Italian won four of the final five games to close out a routine victory in her Merida debut.

“Usually, you always play in the same places in tennis, but I’m so happy to visit a new place,” Paolini said in her on-court interview. “Tournaments in Mexico are always nice, organized and the crowds are really passionate, so I’m happy to be back in Mexico and the first time in Merida.”

The World No. 7 entered the tournament late as a wild card, looking to regain momentum after losing both of her opening matches during the Middle East swing, dropping her record to 3-7 in her last 10 matches.

Despite the recent skid, Paolini played disciplined tennis on Thursday, winning by keeping the ball in play and backing it up with a strong second serve. She finished with 13 winners to 14 unforced errors and won 90% (9 of 10) of her second-serve points.

Hon meanwhile struggled on serve throughout the match, landing just 43% of her first serves and winning 55% of those points. She managed only 22% (6 of 27) on her second serve, allowing Paolini to convert 6 of 11 break points.

With the win, Paolini moves into the quarterfinals to face an in-form Katie Boulter. Paolini leads the head-to-head 3-2 and has won the past two meetings, both in straight sets.