Chinese wild card Peng Shuai knocked out 6th seed Venus Williams of the United States 7-5, 6-1 in the first round of the China Open here on Monday.
Peng proved a tenacious opponent for the elder Williams sister from the outset of the match, and needed just one hour 26 minutes to send Venus packing.
The first set was hotly contested but Peng showed her battling qualities at big moments, breaking her opponent twice to take the opening set.
To a noisy home crowd at the Diamond Court, Peng stormed to 5-0 in the second set and never looked back.
"Actually, at the beginning of the match when I was nervous because she's like a big player, big server, a really powerful opponent for me," Peng said.
She added that several months off the court may have added to her nerves.
"Venus is a great player, needless to say. So I felt pressure when I played her. During the match I felt pressure because I had not played in competition for so many months," she said.
But once Peng began to find her footing and took the first set, she found the motivation to power through her opponent's serves.
"Actually, in the first set, after I win, I told myself to keep going, just tell myself I can do it. I think in the second set the first three games are really important when I got it. My confidence went up with the scoring, it gave me more motivation," she added.
Peng was also circumspect after the surprise win. She said there were still places where she thought her game was not where it needed to be.
"Sometimes I could not play the ball the way I wanted. Sometimes I played very well, but sometimes I did not play very well," Peng said.
She said that battling a giant like Williams with so much experience on the court allows her a learning opportunity. "I learned a lot because she's really a good player."
Peng said she is not thinking about recent setbacks and declines in her performance and ranking. She said she is motivated simply by the chance to play more tennis.
"My goal is clear: to play more matches, be it singles or doubles. The key is to come back to the court. I feel excited about it," she concluded.
