Wang Xinyu was eliminated in the first round of her Tokyo debut, suffering five consecutive first-round exits; netizens said her loss was mainly due to losing control of her emotions.

The announcement of Wang Xinyu’s first-round elimination at the Tokyo 500 event caught many off guard!

With her world ranking just on the brink of dropping out of the top 60, and given her decision to withdraw from the doubles at Ningbo 500, it was obvious that Wang Xinyu took the Tokyo tournament very seriously.

It was often said that pretty girls tend to be blessed with good fortune, but for Wang Xinyu, switching from Ningbo to Tokyo proved to be quite the opposite.

Initially, facing a qualifier in the first round, and considering Wang Xinyu’s positive mindset and confidence shown in interviews after her early exit in Ningbo, almost everyone expected her to at least clear the first round easily. However, unexpectedly, the top ten player Boulter became her second-round opponent, making her chances of advancing look grim.

After Boulter withdrew from the Tokyo 500 due to early qualification for the year-end finals, fans were happy for Wang Xinyu, thinking her draw might improve. But then her second-round opponent turned into the 5th seed Bencic, putting Wang’s advancement hopes once again in jeopardy.

Given such a tough fate, expectations for Wang Xinyu naturally lowered, with many saying that just playing well in the first round of the Tokyo 500 would be enough, leaving the rest to her own effort and fate.

Unexpectedly, against qualifier Grachova, Wang Xinyu did not bring any surprises but rather shocked fans and netizens, making it hard to believe that after traveling all the way from Ningbo to Tokyo, she was met with a defeat.

Looking back at the match, many believe Wang Xinyu actually had a chance to avoid losing, and the ultimate reason for her defeat might lie with her own issues.

In the first set, although Wang trailed 2-4 after six games, she realized that warming up slowly would put her in more danger. She then won four consecutive games to take the set 6-4, showing that her fighting spirit and ability were intact.

After regaining her form, before the second set began, everyone watching the live stream believed that with her confidence and morale restored, Grachova would struggle to stop Wang’s momentum. No one expected the surprising outcome.

The French player won the second set 6-3 to level the match and then sealed the victory in the decider with a 6-4 score, delivering a heartbreaking loss to China’s No. 2.

Why did many feel Wang Xinyu’s loss was so regrettable? One netizen revealed the truth: “Emotions can express personality, but when used at the wrong time, they can become a curse.”

When Wang was down 1-4 in the second set and in such a passive position, the real test was her mindset. For many, the first thought would be to stay calm, avoid panic, fight with all they have, and hope for a miracle. Even if defeat was inevitable, at least they could face themselves without regret.

But what about Wang Xinyu? She lost her temper over a rare out-of-bounds call ignored by the umpire. After unsuccessfully appealing, driven by emotion, she kept complaining. Viewers in the live stream predicted that Wang’s chances of a comeback like in the first set were slim, as her mind was unsettled, making it impossible to calmly compete and turn the tide.

Even in the deciding set, her loss and eventual reversal by Grachova seemed, to many, tied to her inability to fully recover emotionally after that controversial call in the second set.

Moreover, many strongly believe Wang’s emotional struggles indirectly gave Grachova the chance to overturn the match. Another reason is that although the French player isn’t very famous, she is far from an easy opponent and is a classic opportunist.

For example, Grachova has defeated former top 10 players like Jabeur, Sakkari, and Kasatkina four times, and during the Asian season, she beat two top 50 players, Jovic and Arango, consecutively. This clearly shows she is not a pushover but someone who excels at seizing opportunities.

Wang Xinyu’s failure to control her emotions at critical moments gave Grachova a golden chance. Wang’s usual slow start was already a disadvantage, and by giving the opponent this opening, the French player surely pressured Wang into greater agitation, causing more mistakes. Grachova seized the moment to triumph, and in the end, she succeeded.

After Wang’s exit, fans and netizens in the live stream expressed their helplessness immediately, having hoped she would challenge Bencic in the second round and trouble the Swiss star. Instead, she was eliminated before even facing Bencic, leaving them speechless and disappointed.

Wang Xinyu’s first-round loss to Grachova in Tokyo also made her Asian season record quite poor this year: losing to Boulter at the Shenzhen Billie Jean King Cup; defeated by elder sister Zhang Shuai at the China Open; upset by Naiki Motoka at the Wuhan Open; and beaten by Yuan Yue in Ningbo. These five consecutive first-round exits against various opponents have led some fans and netizens to say Wang should seriously reflect on her own problems. With Zheng Qinwen ending her 2025 season early, some expected Wang to seize the opportunity to become China’s new No. 1, but her current performance dashes supporters’ hopes.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonriver’s Starry Sky)