Huang Zelin Emerges as China's New Tennis Pride; Netizens Say Sweetness Lacking, Wu Di’s Wedding Announcement Adds More Sweetness

Following the end of the singles run for all Chinese players at this US Open, the 21-year-old Hong Kong native Huang Zelin was notably singled out as a standout for his excellent skills, strong performance, and great potential, firmly establishing himself as a new representative of Chinese tennis.

After Shang Juncheng retired mid-match due to injury and Bu Yunchaokete unexpectedly lost despite a favorable draw, no one anticipated that 21-year-old Huang Zelin would step up to become the flag bearer for Chinese tennis at this US Open.

When Huang Zelin advanced from the qualifiers into the main draw, most believed that merely passing the first round at the US Open would be a huge success. Before this year, he had entered six Grand Slam qualifiers but only reached the second round at best. Breaking through to the main draw was already a major career milestone, so expecting this young player to astonish everyone on his Grand Slam debut was clearly too high a demand.

Even though Huang Zelin passed the first round, when compared with Wang Xinyu, many still felt that after other Chinese players had exited early, among the last two remaining Chinese singles players in the draw, Wang Xinyu was the most reliable candidate to carry the Chinese tennis flag at Flushing Meadows.

Wang Xinyu’s second-round opponent, Aleksandrova, was tough, but Wang held the head-to-head advantage, making her a hopeful flag bearer; Huang Zelin faced Walton in the second round, and with the vast experience gap, it was extremely challenging for the Hong Kong player to advance unless a miracle happened.

When the matches of Wang Xinyu and Huang Zelin concluded, the final hopes for Chinese men's and women's singles ended with very different outcomes. The highly anticipated Wang lost to Aleksandrova, while the Hong Kong player pulled off a stunning upset by beating Walton in three sets, unexpectedly becoming the flag bearer for Chinese tennis despite low expectations.

What made the public view Huang Zelin differently and regard him as China’s pride at this US Open was his challenge against Rublev.

Before this high-profile match, almost everyone predicted a sweep against Huang Zelin based on expert opinions and betting odds. The main reason was that Rublev’s strength far exceeded Huang’s previous opponents. While the Russian star might struggle against peers of his level, he was expected to easily teach a lesson to a qualifier like Huang.

However, after the match, Huang Zelin shocked everyone with his performance. Instead of collapsing as expected, he pushed Rublev to a full five-set battle. Notably, Huang lost only two games in the first set, putting pressure on Rublev early, and after three sets, he denied Rublev a straight-sets victory in the fourth, forcing a thrilling fifth set that electrified fans watching live.

Although Huang eventually lost, people felt proud that in his Grand Slam main draw debut, he played three incredible matches. Even in defeat, he was a source of pride and brought a sweet feeling—just not sweet enough. Fans and netizens said the sweetness was lacking because he didn’t pull off the upset against Rublev; if he had, “that would have been overwhelmingly satisfying for everyone.”

Soon, some joked that if Huang Zelin’s current surprises and sweetness for Chinese tennis were insufficient, then the sugar should be supplemented by Davis Cup captain Wu Di.

After Wu Di announced his wedding on social media, fans and netizens called it a gentle breeze of sweetness following the string of losses by Chinese singles players during this US Open.

Following the news of Wu Di’s wedding, former top Chinese players like Zheng Jie and Zhang Chaoyang sent their blessings through comments to this former leading Chinese male player.

Many remember Wu Di not only for guiding the Chinese team to tie last year’s best Davis Cup result but also for supporting Zheng Qinwen during her toughest times.

In 2023, when Zheng Qinwen was left without a coach after Fassett’s departure, Wu Di bravely took on the coaching role despite external criticism, helping her overcome difficulties.

Even now, many acknowledge that Zheng Qinwen’s first WTA 500 title in Zhengzhou in 2023 owed much to coach Wu Di’s invaluable contribution.

“He really offered me many detailed suggestions, including points I hadn’t noticed before. Wu Di is a great coach with an ability to quickly identify problems, which sets him apart from others. I think he’s really excellent,” Zheng Qinwen’s praise clearly shows her strong recognition of his coaching skills.

Now that Wu Di’s wedding news is out, it naturally attracted attention from fans and netizens, many flocking to his comment section to send blessings to this former leader of Chinese men’s tennis, wishing him lasting happiness with his wife.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlight River’s Starry Sky)