Taipei City, Taiwan, 4 February 2017 | tennis.com.au

Sam Stosur lost her first match against Peng Shuai in seven career meetings after the Chinese player stunned the Aussie in straight sets at the Taiwan Open.

Stosur, the second seed, went down to Peng 6-4 6-4.

Peng goes on to face Lucie Safarova for a place in the final.

Despite the loss it was nonetheless an encouraging week for Stosur, who snapped a nine-match losing streak with her first-round win and advanced to her first WTA quarterfinal since July.

She’ll next head to the Middle East for prestigious Premier-level events in Doha and Dubai.