Rome, May 15 -- China's Zheng Qinwen stunned world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 6-3 to set up an Italian Open semi-final against Coco Gauff.
Olympic champion Zheng, who had lost all six of her previous meetings with Sabalenka, broke the Belarusian's serve to lead 3-2 before closing out the first set on Wednesday.
The eighth seed then made the crucial break in Sabalenka's first service game of the second set to open a route to victory.
Sabalenka made impressive holds in the fifth and seventh games of the set, but 22-year-old Zheng held on to secure her first semi-final appearance of the season.
"It's been a long time I haven't arrived in semi-finals," Zheng told Sky Sports.
"It was not easy for me because at the beginning of the year ...