The touching reason behind Bai Zhuoxuan’s unexpected win mentioning Jay Chou, while Yuan Yue faces a heartbreaking challenge against Swiatek today

When Zhang Zhizhen, considered the most likely to bring an initial win for Chinese tennis at the Australian Open, lost, nobody expected the underdog Bai Zhuoxuan to unexpectedly bring joy and compensate for Zhang’s disappointment.

One player ranked 702nd, the other 47th! If someone had told you before the match that Bai Zhuoxuan, with such a low ranking, could shake the former French Open finalist Pavlyuchenkova, many would have said that joke has no punchline—it’s just too shocking.

The public’s low expectations for Bai Zhuoxuan stem not only from the belief that her overall strength and major tournament experience can’t compare to Pavlyuchenkova’s but also from the vastly different odds set by bookmakers: Bai was at 2.62, while the Russian star was at 1.5.

Because of the obvious gap in many aspects, once Bai Zhuoxuan was prematurely written off, almost no one defended her; the hope was just for her to perform normally against Pavlyuchenkova, and as long as she didn’t get bageled or gifted easy points, any scoreline would be acceptable.

While many watched the match expecting Bai Zhuoxuan to be swept away in two sets by Pavlyuchenkova, the young player quietly bloomed in the first set like a wild lily, winning 6-4, giving Pavlyuchenkova a warning and surprising the doubters and fans alike.

However, even though Bai fought fiercely on court and showed strong resilience, when Pavlyuchenkova intensified her play in the second set to suppress Bai’s momentum, most still believed Bai’s defeat was inevitable, just with a bit more resistance on court.

Why was Bai Zhuoxuan so heavily underestimated even after being close to victory? The young player could only respond passively, as Pavlyuchenkova controlled the match’s initiative throughout.

Especially after the Russian star dominated the second set 6-2, many assumed the final set would be Pavlyuchenkova’s showcase, since Bai had a history of sudden collapses in previous matches.

But this time, Bai Zhuoxuan held firm.

Under constant pressure from the Russian, Bai not only withstood the stress and escaped danger but also exchanged points evenly with Pavlyuchenkova, maintaining control until the tiebreak without letting her opponent dominate.

During the super tiebreak, it was expected that Bai would lose after missing match points, but surprisingly, she seized the opportunity. Upon winning, Bai immediately collapsed to the ground, celebrating as if she had won a championship.

After the match, many said thankfully Bai Zhuoxuan won; otherwise, given the many chances Pavlyuchenkova offered, “losing would have caused lifelong regret.”

In a post-match interview, Bai amusingly wished Jay Chou a happy birthday, revealing to the public that she is a fan of his.

What many didn’t know was that Bai’s birthday greeting to Jay Chou in front of so many people had a deeper, very touching reason: “I just thought I had to win, I couldn’t lose, so that my birthday wishes would have meaning.”

Bai revealed that her secret to winning was the determination to succeed on her idol’s birthday, which led fans and netizens to jokingly call Jay Chou her powerful spiritual support. They hope that when she faces world No.1 Sabalenka next, Jay Chou will be there in person to boost her morale and help her achieve an even bigger surprise.

Regarding the tough second-round match against Sabalenka, Bai Zhuoxuan showed a positive mindset publicly: “I will focus on myself and enjoy the match against her.”

What kind of performance Bai will deliver against Sabalenka is highly anticipated. Meanwhile, Beijing time this afternoon no earlier than 4 PM, Yuan Yue’s spotlight match against Swiatek is also drawing attention.

When it was seen that Yuan Yue had fought hard through qualifiers only to face world No.2 Swiatek in the first round, some immediately exclaimed, “Yueyue’s world is collapsing.” The implication was that Yuan Yue was doomed to lose and powerless against the strong Polish player.

To be precise, from ranking and strength perspectives, it’s extremely difficult for Yuan Yue to cause an upset against Swiatek, especially with Swiatek’s strong motivation this year to pursue a career Grand Slam at the Australian Open. Anyone wanting to shock Swiatek in the first round faces a huge challenge.

What supporters find hard to accept is not just the overwhelmingly negative public opinion but the painfully harsh odds offered by bookmakers: Swiatek at 1.02, Yuan Yue at 19.

Fans are very upset about the odds, feeling they show disrespect, essentially signaling that Yuan Yue’s fate against the Polish star is to get bageled or handed easy points, with no chance to fight back.

Some joked that since Bai Zhuoxuan unexpectedly exploded onto the scene despite low expectations, if Yuan Yue can turn this harsh judgment into strong motivation, wouldn’t that make her even more wildly cheered? Forget the odds, watch Yueyue’s performance and final result!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River’s Starry Sky)