by Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
Shuai Zhang of China ended her 24-match singles losing streak beating American McCartney Kessler 7-6(5), 7-6(1) in the opening round of the Beijing Open .
The losing streak in singles was believed to be the longest in the history of pro tennis. However, according to WTA Insider, a player named Madeleine Pegel lost her first 29 matches at the start of the Open Era of pro tennis from 1968 to 1972. In men’s tennis, Vince Spadea lost an ATP record 21 straight matches – a streak that was ended in the first round of Wimbledon in 2000, as documented in the “On This Day In Tennis History” book, which is excerpted below.
2000 – Vince Spadea breaks his ATP record 21-match losing streak by upsetting No. 14 seed Greg Rusedski of Britain 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 6-7, 9-7 in the first round of Wimbledon. Entering the match, Spadea is winless on the ATP Tour since the previous October in Lyon, France. Says Spadea, “If I had lost this match I was thinking :’Holy goodness! I am going to have to stay in Europe until I win a match. But here I am, six months on. It was worth the wait.” The following day, Rusedski is greeted with the headline in the Daily Mail reading, “Rusedski Falls To World’s Biggest Loser.”
“I think that this is the perfect timing,” Zhang told WTA Insider after the win. “My first win at a WTA tournament was 15 years ago at China Open, and then the next day I beat the No.1 player [Dinara Safina in 2009].”
Zhang credited the home Chinese crowd to her ability to finally get over the hump. It is the first time she has played in China since 2000.
Zhang is 35 years old and ranked No. 595 in the world, but received a wild card entry into the Beijing Open. She was ranked as high as No. 22 in the world and won three career WTA singles titles. She reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open as a qualifier in 2016 and also reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2019. She has won 13 WTA doubles titles, including the 2019 Australian Open and the 2021 U.S. Open. She recently reached the doubles final at the U.S. Open. Here she is speaking after beating Sam Stosur at the 2016 U.S. Open Shuai Zhang Talks After US Opeb Win Over Sam Stosur https://youtu.be/d1p-FDaFsmQ?si=9w7fpyC3MGes3J3G
Ironically, the losing streaks for both Zhang and Spadea started at events in Lyon, France.
