China’s Zhang Shuai fought off fatigue to upset Australian fourth seed Jelena Dokic 6-3, 6-4 Tuesday to reach the second round of a $220,000 WTA hardcourt event in suburban Washington. After playing in a national tournament in her homeland, the 22-year-old from Tianjin was still jet lagged after a 12-hour flight Friday to Washington but she ignored her coach’s suggestion that she could wthdraw. “I wanted to try because I want to win. I’m very happy,” Zhang said. “Very good win. I was sick. No tennis. Just sleep and eat. I’m really tired. For me it was very difficult.” Zhang, ranked 85th, will face American Irina Falconi on Wednesday for a quarter-final spot that would match her best run of the year from last month at Copenhagen. Her best WTA showing was to reach a Guangzhou semi-final last year.
