Zhang marches into the quarterfinals

Chinese native into quarters after lengthy travel, match

NEW HAVEN » Two days earlier, Shuai Zhang managed to brush off debilitating jet lag that often comes with the 26 hours of travel time required for a flight to New York from her native China.

She’d arrived in New Haven on Sunday night, caught a few hours of sleep, and then eliminated threetime Connecticut Open champion Petra Kvitova in the opening round.

But the grueling mix of traveling halfway across the globe and a prolonged afternoon match nearly did her in on Wednesday. Zhang, the 29th-ranked player in the world, battled physical and mental exhaustion to beat resilient qualifier Magda Linette 6-3, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3 on Stadium Court.

The match lasted 2 hours, 22 minutes — the longest match at the Connecticut Open this week. Long and drawn out, for sure, but not quite in the pantheon of all-time three-set matches on the WTA Tour. Forty women’s matches have endured for at least 3:30, dating back to 1972.

If you’re curious, the longest women’s match in tour history was played in 1984 between Americans Vicki Nelson and Jean Hepner, a 6-hour, 31-minute marathon that included a remarkable 643-shot rally that lasted 29 minutes.

Try to recreate that the next time you’re at the local courts having a friendly volley and not trying to win the point on every shot.

Still, on the hardcourts of the Connecticut Tennis Center, with the midday August sun beating down,

Wednesday’s protracted match took a physical and mental toll on both players.

Zhang had a one-set advantage and was ahead in the second when Linette asked to see the trainer. Her back was acting up. It’s an issue she’s battled since last year and something that tends to flare up during longer matches on unforgiving hardcourts.

At one point, Linette was lying face down on the court while the trainer worked out the kinks.

“It loosened up my muscles and I got some pain killers,” Linette said. “It felt a little better so I decided to keep playing and see what would happen.”

Linette found new life. She came back to win the set, taking the tiebreaker 7-4, with momentum to possibly complete the comeback in the third set.

On the other side, Zhang lost her concentration during the lull.

She’d been having a hard enough time readjusting after flying in from China on Sunday night. Sure, she knocked off Kvitova on Monday night and had Tuesday to rest.

But the time change — 12 hours difference — was exhausting. Especially for a 2 p.m. start time, like Wednesday.

“My body is still in China,” Zhang said. “When we play at 2 o’clock, it’s 2 o’clock (in the morning) in China. It’s tough to play. I tried to concentrate on every ball. But when she called the trainer, it took a long break. Afterward it was tough to concentrate. I made so many mistakes.”

Making matters worse, Zhang began to experience numbness in her right arm early in the third set. It was uncomfortable enough for her to ask to see the training staff. But the visit was enough to rejuvenate Zhang. Trailing 3-2, Zhang rolled off four straight games to take the match.

It’s only the second appearance in a quarterfinal round all year for Zhang, 28, who faces another qualifier, Elise Mertens of Belgium, in today’s afternoon session.