As well as rain delays being unwanted during the opening night at the 2024 Indian Wells Open, the same could be said for a new unwanted record for Chinese tennis star, Shuai Zhang who lost again on Wednesday evening.
Zhang has lost her last 18 matches, which is now an all-time record on the WTA Tour as per Univers Tennis. For reference, she was 23rd in the WTA Rankings and one of the top Chinese stars and since these defeats she has gone from there to 713th place in the rankings.
A real steep decline and one befitting of the run she has been on. Since Indian Wells last year, she has been defeated in every match. In addition, she has only won five sets since then. She only won her first set in some time during her opening loss on Wednesday with Mai Hontama winning through 5-7, 6-2, 6-0.
Amid the steep rise of Qinwen Zheng, there has also been the steep decline of Shuai Zhang and now the question marks will be asked with this new all-time unwanted record through all tours that she now holds.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
Zhang Shuai now lost her last 18 matches, a new all time record on the WTA tour…
Univers Tennis 🎾
@UniversTennis
Battue à Indian Wells, Zhang Shuai 🇨🇳 vient de signer sa 𝟭𝟴𝗲 𝗱𝗲́𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲́𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, la pire série en WTA. 😨
23e mondiale lors de sa dernière victoire en janvier 2023, la Chinoise se retrouve désormais à la 713e place du classement. 📉
📸 @FlashscoreFR