But gao

Beatriz Haddad Maia: Filling in for women's world No. 5 Zheng Qinwen, the world No. 175 Gao Xinyu caused a huge sensation, notching a major upset on the opening day of the United Cup, helping China to a 2-0 victory over Brazil in a Group E encounter.

Gao, who came in as a last-minute replacement for Zheng who decided to skip the United Cup to rest for the season ahead, overcame Beatriz Haddad Maia 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 to give China an initial 1-0 lead over Brazil in the opening rubber of the Group E tie.

The three-hour, 22-minute epic, which was the longest WTA singles match in tournament history, thoroughly contrasted Zhang Zhizhen’s 6-3, 6-0 triumph over Thiago Monteiro, which sealed the tie in China’s favour. Ranked No. 45 in the ATP Rankings, Zhang breezed past the Brazilian in just 54 minutes to improve to 2-0 in their ATP head-to-head series.