Zhang is currently the highest ranked female Chinese singles player. She has a career-high singles world ranking of 23rd, which was achieved on 14 November 2016, and a career-high doubles ranking of 29th, which was achieved on 1 April 2013.

Zhang has won a total of 20 singles titles, 19 on the ITF Circuit and one on the WTA Tour – the 2013 Guangzhou International Women's Open. In doubles, she has won a total of 13 titles (9 ITF, 4 WTA).

Zhang won her first singles match in a Grand Slam tournament at the 2016 Australian Open, when, as a qualifier, she defeated world number two Simona Halep en route to the quarterfinals. Zhang had lost all fourteen of her main draw Grand Slam matches up to that point, a stretch that started with the 2008 US Open. Alongside Li Na, Zheng Jie and Peng Shuai, Zhang is one of only four Chinese tennis players to make the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament.

Zhang, born in Tianjin, started playing tennis at the age of six, when her parents took her to a local tennis club.

She turned professional in 2003 and played her first singles event in Mollerusa in August of that year. After defeating Matilde Munoz-Gonzalves in the first qualifying round (7–5, 7–5), she lost to Laura Figuerola-Foix in the second qualifying round (6–7(5), 4–6). After a full year on the ITF circuit, Zhang finished 2004 with a year-end ranking of 901st.

She enjoyed considerable success in singles on the ITF circuit, having won one $50,000 event, eight $25,000 tournaments and three $10,000 events between 2006 and 2009. As of October 2009, however, she had won only two main draw tournaments on the WTA circuit. Her peak ranking is World No. 23, achieved in 2016. She won her first WTA singles title at the 2013 Guangzhou International Women's Open as a wildcard entrant.

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