Chinese Shao Yaqi defeated the world No. 1 seed Olga Khalran 15-13 in the women's individual sabre at the 2018 World Fencing Championships in Wuxi on Tuesday.
Against Kharlan who has won the world championship three times, Shao once trailed by six points against the Ukrainian Olympic medalist, but was able to pick herself up and score eight consecutive points.
In the round of 16, Shao beat Martina Criscio of Italy 15-13. Her teammate Qian Jiarui bested the Romanian Bianca Pascu by one point.
After both advanced to the top eight, their marvelous performance didn't last as they were stopped by a pair of Russian fencers, failing to make it to the top four.
"I am satisfied with my performance in these matches," Shao said after the quarterfinal. "I am so glad that I can beat the No.1 seed and I will prepare myself for the coming 2018 Jakarta Asian Games."
