CHINA’S Zhang Shuai beat Alize Cornet of France 6-3, 6-3 at the Australian Open on Thursday to enter the last 32.

    It was Zhang’s personal best at the tournament.

    Another Chinese player, Zheng Saisai, was overpowered by big-hitting Englishwoman Johanna Konta, crashing out 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 22 minutes.

    Zheng’s loss left Zhang Shuai as the only Chinese player in both men’s and women’s singles draw at Melbourne Park.

    Zhang revealed Tuesday she almost retired last year as her career nose-dived, but decided to try her luck at one more Grand Slam — a decision that paid dividends.

    Watched by her parents for the first time, the 133rd-ranked Zhang, 27, stunned world No. 2 Simona Halep 6-4, 6-3 to reach the second round.

    It removed a huge monkey from her back, having lost in the first round at all 14 Grand Slam matches she had played before — the worst record of any top-300 player.

    Once ranked 30 in the world, her serial failure at Grand Slams and a horror 2015 in which she fell eight times in the first round and six times in qualifying convinced her it was time to call it quits.

    But her team told her to give it one more shot at Melbourne Park this year.

    “The last few months I’m already 200, my ranking, so it was very tough. I was feeling very sad every day, I almost retired,” she said.

    “But, you know, so many people help me — my coach, my parents, my team, also national team, my sponsor, always try to help me, give me more motivation. I didn’t think in two months I can beat the top two player. It feels like a dream come true.”

    Zhang said she seriously considered quitting after yet another flop at the U.S. Open in September. “I was feeling so sad, I couldn’t win one match even. But I’m feeling no, I want to come back, I want try one more time, only one more time.”

    Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic denied an Italian media report he deliberately lost a match in 2007 that has been linked to a wider scandal involving alleged corruption in tennis.

    The 28-year-old world No. 1, who easily beat French teenager Quentin Halys on Wednesday to advance to the Australian Open third round, was asked about a report in Italian newspaper Tuttosport that he had deliberately lost to now-retired French player Fabrice Santoro at the Paris Masters. “It’s not true,” the Serb said with a shrug and shake of his head. “What it is to say? I’ve lost that match.

    “Anybody can create a story about that match or for that matter any of the matches of the top players losing in the early rounds, I think it’s just absurd.”

    “You can pick any match that you like that the top player lost and just create a story out of it.”

    (SD-Agencies)