Recently, due to injury, Zheng Qinwen, the top Chinese female tennis player and Olympic singles champion, had to announce her withdrawal from the US Open. This is her first time missing a Grand Slam since her breakthrough main draw win at the 2022 Australian Open. With Zheng’s exit, China’s female tennis stars lost their leading figure at the US Open. Objectively, this is a major setback for Chinese women’s tennis at this event. Before we realize it, the US Open has already begun. So, how did the Chinese players perform on the opening day? Let this article take you through it.
Many are familiar with Wang Yafan, one of the few post-90s Chinese female players who has won a tour-level title. However, this season, Wang’s performance has been underwhelming; she has only secured one victory on the tour so far, and her world ranking has slipped beyond 150. In the first round, she faced the tournament’s tenth seed, American player Emma Navarro. Wang reached match point in the first set, but Navarro fought back, leveling the score and pushing the set to a tiebreak. The two battled fiercely in the tiebreak, but ultimately Navarro’s stronger play earned her the first set. In the second set, Navarro gave Wang no chance, winning 6-3 to claim the match.
Wang Xiyu, who once reached the round of 16 at a WTA 1000 event, has now fallen outside the top 140 in the world rankings. Last week, she secured three consecutive wins in the US Open qualifiers to advance into the main draw. In the first round, Wang faced Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, a Grand Slam champion. Despite giving her all, Wang was decisively defeated in straight sets, 4-6, 3-6.
Veteran Zhang Shuai has experienced a resurgence this year; now in her thirties, she has won two challenger titles and reached the doubles final of a WTA 1000 event. Over more than eight months, Zhang’s world ranking has improved by nearly 100 places compared to the start of the year. Last week, she earned three straight wins in the US Open qualifiers to make the main draw. In the first round, Zhang faced Swiss Olympic champion Belinda Bencic. Although Zhang defeated Bencic back in 2013, that victory is too far in the past to provide much advantage. In this match, Bencic played exceptionally well, limiting Zhang to just six games across two sets. Objectively, it was a comprehensive loss for Zhang.
Recently, Zhu Lin achieved a career milestone by winning three consecutive matches at the WTA 1000 Montreal tournament, reaching the round of 16 for the first time in her career at this level. Because of this, many fans held some confidence in Zhu Lin. In the first round of the US Open, she faced Russian player Potapova. In the first set, during a close scoreline, Potapova broke Zhu’s serve and quickly closed out the set, gaining an early advantage in the match.
In the second set, refusing to accept defeat, Zhu Lin launched a strong counterattack, winning 6-4 to push the match into a deciding set. In the final set, Potapova quickly took control, scoring points in succession and winning 6-2. Zhu Lin earned the only set victory by a Chinese player on the first day, a respectable showing despite the loss. That’s the tennis story for today; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home; Author: Yixin Jushi)