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China's Qiang Wang has credited her former long-time Australian coach, the late Peter McNamara, after upsetting world No.2 Barty at the US Open in New York.
Qiang Wang paid an emotional tribute to the late Peter McNamara after dumping Ashleigh Barty from the US Open draw in the biggest win of her career.
The former Australian Davis Cup winner spent four years nurturing Wang before ending their partnership in February, five months before succumbing to prostate cancer.
"He help me a lot. Is really tough to me to hear he's pass. I think he's always been there with me," Wang said after her stunning 6-2 6-4 fourth-round victory over Barty on Sunday.
"He always believe (in) me. He told me I can be the top player. He told me how to play the match. He took me to the professional tennis. So, yes, that's how he teach me."
Wang turned to McNamara in 2015, having just cracked the world's top 100 and hoping to build a more aggressive game under the Australian's tutelage.
Their union yielded its first major scalp at last year's French Open, where Wang eliminated Venus Williams in the first round.
Buoyed by a new-found confidence, Wang claimed her maiden tour-level title in Nanchang in 2018, then another Guangzhou.
But the highlight of Wang's career, until beating Barty on big stage to reach her first grand slam quarter-final, came during last year's Asian swing.
Wang became the first Chinese player to make back-to-back semi-finals in Wuhan and Beijing, then made the Hong Kong final to qualify for the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai.
The revelation notched wins over Karolina Pliskova, Aryna Sabalenka, Elina Svitolina, Garbine Muguruza and Madison Keys before falling to Barty in the final and becoming the first Chinese player to finish a season in the top 20 since former Australian Open champion Li Na in 2014.
The 18th seed was like the Great Wall of China against Barty on Sunday, committing only 14 unforced errors in almost an hour and a half of pressure-filled major tennis.
"I was very focused on court. I just tried to hit aggressive on court and just do my best," Wang said.
The 27-year-old could face Serena Williams next after Barty, as at Wimbledon, once again fell a win short of a potential grand slam quarter-final showdown with the 23-times major champion.
Wang was happy enough to savour this victory first.
"I just want to enjoy now and my coach will tell me how to play next," she said.
"I think that's my coach's homework."
