Rising tennis star Zhang wins China derby at China Open

Zhang Shuai of China hits a return during her women's singles match against her compatriot Peng Shuai at China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, Sept. 30, 2013. Zhang Shuai won 2-0.(Xinhua/Meng Yongmin)

China's uprising star Zhang Shuai upset veteran Peng Shuai in the first round of the China Open in Beijing on Monday, winning the China derby in just one hour and 18 minutes.

Zhang, who won her first-ever WTA title in career in the just-concluded Guangzhou women's tennis tournament earlier this month, continued her surging form at the China Open and made short work of her national and Tianjin teammate Peng at 6-3, 6-3.

Zhang, with a series of outstanding performances recently, has lifted her ranking to her best-ever 66th, and in the opening match, the 24-year-old had two convincing breaks in each of the two sets, while Peng, a much higher-ranked player, was out of sorts throughout the whole match and never found a way to test her opponent.

Tianjin, a port city of east China, is a major stronghold for Chinese tennis, boasting some top female players inluding Peng, Zhang, Duan Yingying and Zheng Saisai.