China's Peng Shuai plays against Venus Williams of the US. [Photo/Agencies]

To a noisy home crowd at the Diamond Court, Peng stormed to 5-0 in the second set and never looked back.

The win sent the home crowd wild, with Peng tossing a tennis ball well into the upper reaches of the stands, much to the delight of fans.

"Actually, at the beginning of the match when I was nervous because she's like a big player, big server, a really powerful opponent for me," Peng said.