All four Chinese tennis stars were eliminated on the first day of the US Open! Wang Yafan's loss was the most regrettable, while Zhu Lin was held back by her stamina.

All four Chinese tennis stars who competed on the opening day of the US Open all fell in the first round! This means the responsibility to secure an opening victory for the Chinese tennis team now falls on others.

Zhang Shuai, Wang Xiyu, Wang Yafan, and Zhu Lin, who played first on the opening day, all faced very strong opponents in the first round. Although some predicted that all four might be knocked out immediately, many fans and netizens believed Wang Yafan and Zhu Lin had the capability to challenge their tough rivals and even if they lost, it would be a close defeat.

Wang Xiyu faced former French Open champion Ostapenko in the first round. Before the match, many jokingly called this intense battle a duel between two "volatile players." Both Wang and the Latvian are known for their unpredictable form—when they are on, they are unbeatable, but when off, they risk losing badly. The winner would be the one who remained more consistent.

Actually, in this match, both Wang Xiyu and Ostapenko avoided their usual volatility, which made the contest very interesting, turning it into a pure test of their solid skills.

On the strength front, Wang Xiyu ultimately lost to the former French Open champion with scores of 4-6 and 3-6. Fans accepted Wang’s defeat since she was clearly on the back foot throughout the match, never gaining control. Losing three times in a row to Ostapenko is understandable, and now she must review her performance seriously and aim for revenge next time.

Zhang Shuai, who was the most impressive among the Chinese players in qualifying, was expected by fans and netizens to have a great chance of reaching the second round at 36 years old if she got a favorable draw before the main draw was announced.

Unfortunately, fate was harsh and she drew Swiss star Belinda Bencic as her opponent, instantly cooling everyone’s hopes.

Facing a younger and stronger Bencic, Zhang Shuai was clearly outmatched. After losing the first set 3-6, the veteran Chinese player tried to fight back in the second set and pushed Bencic to a deciding set, still holding hope to advance.

However, Bencic proved to be no ordinary opponent, reading Zhang’s tactics well. After withstanding Zhang’s attacks, she raised her level to win the second set 6-3, ending the match and crushing Zhang’s hopes of a comeback, wasting the momentum she had gained from qualifying.

After losing in straight sets to Bencic, Zhang Shuai has now been stopped in the first round at the US Open for two consecutive years. Among the four Grand Slams she played this year, the Chinese veteran only won a match at the Australian Open, which is quite unfortunate for her.

Wang Yafan faced American heiress Navarro. Although betting companies gave her long odds of 4.0 compared to Navarro’s 1.25, seemingly showing little respect, Wang Yafan’s performance in the first set suggested she was determined to defy the odds.

Especially when she reached 5-3 in the first set, the atmosphere in the live broadcast was electrified as fans cheered her on, hoping she could take the opening set and deal Navarro a heavy blow, securing the first win for the Chinese tennis team.

Unexpectedly, Wang Yafan missed three set points in both her service game to close the set and in the subsequent tiebreak, allowing the American to come back and win the critical first set.

In the second set, Wang Yafan fought with all her might and troubled Navarro greatly, but she failed to hold up under pressure at the key moment, suffering a decisive break and eventually losing the match 3-6, which made many fans lament how close she came.

Some said if she had seized her chances and taken the first set, the outcome of the match might have been very uncertain. Having the opportunity but losing it is just unfortunate.

Last year Wang Yafan reached the fourth round of the US Open, but this time she exited in the first round. After losing 240 ranking points, her current world ranking has dropped out of the top 300.

Zhu Lin’s exit was even more heartbreaking for everyone.

Against Potapova, Zhu Lin lost the first set 4-6 but showed great resilience to quickly respond with a 6-4 win in the second set.

It seemed like a strong sign that the Chinese star was staging a comeback, but due to exhausting herself in the first two sets, Zhu Lin suffered from physical fatigue in the deciding set and eventually lost 2-6, handing the match to her opponent.

Zhu Lin’s defeat officially marked the complete elimination of the four Chinese tennis stars who played on the US Open opening day, dashing the Chinese team’s hopes for an opening day victory. Now, the spotlight turns to Wang Xinyu, Shang Juncheng, Bu Yunchaokete, and Yuan Yue to carry the torch!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlit River’s Starry Sky)