Ivanovic, admittedly, had been living dangerously, surviving a match point with the help of the net cord against Natalie Dechy in the previous round. Nevertheless, this was a major shock which took precedence over the earlier departures of Djokovic, Sharapova and Roddick.

In the media room we were uncertain which came first, Zheng or Jie, in referring to the girl from Sichuan.

What was beyond conjecture was the class of her performance against a gifted Serbian opponent who moved to the top of the world rankings after winning the French Open earlier this month.

Zheng is ranked 133 in the world, won the Wimbledon doubles title in 2006 and was the first Chinese tennis player to earn more than $lm. What took No 1 court aficionados by surprise was the overwhelming nature of her victory.

She was happier with the low bounce, controlled the rallies and generally looked the more compact player. Ivanovic was never at ease, particularly with the forehand which is normally her most threatening weapon.

On this occasion she seemed to find the net more than the actual court.

Nobody could remember an Asian putting out the top seed in a Grand Slam event before. It all emphasised the rapid development of tennis in China with its focus on success in the Beijing Olympics in August.

Zheng Jie looks a gold medallist in waiting, but this could be her last tournament before the Olympics.

"We want to try our best in the Games," she said. "I feel that my win today is good for China and Chinese tennis."

A crestfallen Ivanovic confessed it was disappointing to lose, but added: "Sometimes you need a punch to realise what you have to work on."

Everything else tended to be overshadowed by the exit of Ivanovic, but there was an intriguing clash between two former champions in Serena Williams (2002-3) and Amelie Mauresmo (2006).

They had a long rivalry going all the way back to 1999 and Williams extended her career lead to 10-2 over the Frenchwoman by winning 7-6
6-1.

There was a thunderous, if error strewn, first set as both players went for uninhibited winners with varying degrees of success. Williams led 3-0, was overhauledand then wobbled in the tie-break before eventually claiming it. The second set was more of a formality as Mauresmo struggled with an injured thigh.

Serena, who wore the infamous trench coat in the warm up, looks ready for next week's fray although there could be one or two doubts about her fitness. The popular Mauresmo retreated to the sidelines with a promise that she would be back next year.