Hsieh Su-Wei soared in the scorching heat to shock No.3 seed Garbine Muguruza 7-6(1) 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.
“I've been on tour too long, so there must be a few interesting matches in my life,” stated the elated Chinese Taipei player.
“Of course this is one of the biggest players I beat. So, it's of course a great memory for me.”
MORE: All the latest scores and results
The world No.88 previously only had one top-20 victory to her name (Johanna Konta, French Open 2017), but the 32-year-old counter-punched with aplomb to disguise her shots and quell the Wimbledon champion’s firepower.
Hsieh, a fourth round participant at Melbourne Park back in 2008, settled in following an exchange of breaks. At the fourth attempt Hsieh redirected a piercing forehand down the line to post a 3-1 lead.
However, from 2-5 the world No.3 was able to find some rhythm and two holds to love enabled the Spaniard to earn a tiebreak.
The powerplay was still missing the mark and Hsieh’s unorthodox, but highly effective strokes sauntered to a set lead.
“I was just trying to keep hanging in there when she was coming back, I need to stay positive,” Hsieh said after the match. “I knew she was going to give me a lot of pressure.”
“Today I tried to be hitting the ball a little bit harder, because my girlfriend told me, ‘oh, she's hitting the ball very heavy.’
“I say, okay, I’m gonna try to not let her destroy me on the court. So try to be aggressive, to get the first point going. I was going pretty good out there.”
Hsieh relentlessly targeted the Muguruza forehand, which broke down to offer up another 3-1 advantage for her perplexed opponent.
A seismic shock was on the cards when the No.3 seed sent a routine volley long to fall 2-5 behind.
The deficit was reduced, but when the pressure mounted and Hsieh served for the match, the former doubles world No.1 managed to strike a laser-like backhand passing shot, before closing out a career-best win in style with a smartly deflected backhand winner.
“She's definitely a very tricky opponent,” said Muguruza. “I think today she played well.
“I maybe could have done things better, but in the end, she deserves to win.”
Hsieh, advancing to face 26th seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the third round, was delighted with her mental fortitude against a top ranked player.
“It's never easy to play against Top 20 girls. I think mentally for sure they are much better than us, so when we go on the court we have to forget who they are, and to focus on our game,” said the 32-year-old.
“I knew the weather was going to be a little bit tough today because I hear weather going to be over 39 degrees. I was thinking, ‘Ah, I'm from Asia. I maybe can handle it better than other girls.'”
Hsieh, who will recover ahead of the Radwanska clash with a series of acupuncture, will continue to bring her own brand of tennis to the court.