The early exit and lineup decisions of the Chinese team in the United Cup sparked controversy, but netizens say it does not affect Zhang Zhizhen being the biggest winner.

China's campaign in this United Cup concluded, and the general reaction was unsurprising since expectations were low for equaling last year's quarterfinal finish.

Zhang Zhizhen, Zhu Lin, You Xiaodi, Terigele, and Wang Aoran made up the Chinese squad for this United Cup, which some fans and netizens regarded as the weakest Chinese side ever in the tournament. Therefore, when the draw was announced and China was placed in the same group as the strong Belgium and Canada teams, many immediately thought it would be tough to replicate the previous two quarterfinal runs, and simply avoiding two straight losses would be considered a successful mission.

The final outcome showed that the Chinese team, led by Zhang Zhizhen and Zhu Lin, completed the task set by fans and netizens before the event with one win and one loss. Even though they ultimately suffered a heavy defeat to the Canada team led by Mboko and Aliassime, their stunning comeback victory over the powerful Belgium team left no room for criticism.

However, after China was eliminated from the United Cup, many openly criticized the team’s last-minute lineup choices, finding it hard to understand why You Xiaodi and Terigele were sent out for mixed doubles against the even stronger Canadian team, which sparked considerable controversy.

At the time when Zhu Lin was upset by Mboko after losing the first set 0-6, and Zhang Zhizhen lost two sets to Aliassime, everyone knew China's chances of advancing were slim, but it did not mean they were already eliminated; winning the mixed doubles still offered hope to match last year’s best performance.

In the previous two United Cups, China also secured a quarterfinal spot by finishing the group stage with one win and one loss. So, even if Zhu Lin and Zhang Zhizhen both lost their singles matches, a strong performance in the crucial mixed doubles could still help China advance as the second in the group based on match wins.

At that moment, it was speculated that China would definitely let Zhu Lin and Zhang Zhizhen continue their partnership in the decisive mixed doubles match, just as they did against Belgium, since they had already beaten Belgium’s top doubles expert Mertens. With that experience and confidence, they were expected to have a high chance of winning against the newly paired Mboko and Aliassime.

But in the end, China did not let Zhu Lin and Zhang Zhizhen play together, instead sending You Xiaodi and Terigele to the court. This led some viewers in the live broadcast to comment that putting You Xiaodi and Terigele against Mboko and Aliassime felt like a mere formality and was far less reassuring than having Zhang and Zhu on the court.

The final result proved that You Xiaodi and Terigele were indeed unable to compete with Mboko and Aliassime, losing 1-6 and 3-6, which officially confirmed China's complete elimination.

Post-match controversy centered on whether China’s decision to field You Xiaodi and Terigele was either a premature surrender of the chance to advance as the group’s second or a high-risk gamble.

Especially the latter point made many fans and netizens feel that relying on You Xiaodi and Terigele to pull off an upset against Mboko and Aliassime in hopes of securing the second place in the group was akin to “walking a tightrope made of hair.”

However, some others believed that China’s choice to field You Xiaodi and Terigele was not a sign of giving up but rather a forced decision because Zhu Lin and Zhang Zhizhen had played two intense singles matches each over two days and were likely too exhausted to continue, making the mixed doubles lineup a reluctant compromise and a sign of a lack of depth in the squad.

Although China recorded its worst performance in the United Cup and the manner of elimination was somewhat disappointing, some netizens joked that this does not diminish Zhang Zhizhen’s status as the biggest winner for China in this tournament.

Besides his remarkable comeback against Berghes, Zhang Zhizhen’s outstanding effort in the mixed doubles was crucial, single-handedly defeating the strong Belgian team, earning him praise and nicknames for his heroic contribution, which made the way China was eliminated more acceptable.

Heroes deserve rewards, and Zhang Zhizhen is no exception. When bidding farewell to the United Cup, Zhang earned only 35 singles ranking points but took home $95,250 in prize money, equivalent to over 660,000 RMB. Although Zhu Lin lost both singles matches, she still received $70,250, over 490,000 RMB, making it a profitable tournament for both.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River’s Starry Sky)