World No 2 gets zapped by Zhang Chinese qualifier notches huge first-round upset

World No 2 Simona Halep was dumped from the Australian Open at the first hurdle on Tuesday as China's Zhang Shuai earned her first victory in 15 Grand Slam matches.

Halep, who has been struggling with a niggling Achilles injury, had no answers to Zhang's dominant baseline game as the Chinese qualifier, ranked No 133 in the world, scored a stunning 6-4, 6-3 win in Margaret Court Arena.

The odds had been heavily stacked in Halep's favor, with Zhang having played just 14 Grand Slam matches ahead of Tuesday and losing them all - the worst record of any player in the world's top 300.