Bai Zhuoxuan was swept by Sabalenka in the challenge, but netizens pointed out two consolations; Wu Yibing aims to reach the second week

After Bai Zhuoxuan’s match against world No.1 Sabalenka concluded, some said that although her spiritual supporter Jay Chou watching didn’t help her cause an upset, the final score was still acceptable.

Following her shocking first-round victory over former French Open finalist Pavlyuchenkova, Bai Zhuoxuan publicly sent birthday wishes to Jay Chou during an interview and stressed she couldn’t lose on her idol’s birthday. This made many eager to see if, in the second round against Sabalenka, with Jay Chou present, Bai could create an even bigger surprise fueled by this strong spiritual support.

In the match against Sabalenka, Jay Chou lived up to expectations by attending to support Bai Zhuoxuan, sitting very close to the court. As one netizen put it, he was just a step away, within reach to shake her hand.

However, this time Bai Zhuoxuan did not cause an upset and was swept by Sabalenka 6-3, 6-1, ending her singles journey at the Australian Open.

After the match, many commented that although Jay Chou’s presence didn’t help Bai win, it allowed everyone to see a different side of her.

Before the match started, bookmakers had given Bai Zhuoxuan odds of 26 to 1, compared to Sabalenka’s 1.01, making it seem very likely that Bai would either be bageled or handed a heavy defeat.

When Bai Zhuoxuan was quickly dominated 0-5 at the start of the first set, those who had criticized the disrespectful odds immediately changed their minds, acknowledging that Bai was different from Yuan Yue, as the likelihood of a bagel was very high.

Just when it seemed Bai’s fate was sealed, she surprisingly won three consecutive games to avoid the embarrassment of a bagel.

However, by the end of the second set, Bai Zhuoxuan still could not escape another pre-match prediction: being handed a one-sided loss.

The reason many accepted the scoreline was that Bai did not collapse under pressure, offering two consolations: first, she extended a match expected to last under an hour to over an hour; second, she avoided becoming Sabalenka’s easy breakfast opponent.

This second consolation led some fans and netizens to jokingly credit Jay Chou, reasoning that since Bai vowed not to lose on her idol’s birthday, Jay’s presence helped her save face and fight back hard when pushed to the brink, achieving a decent result.

Others discussing Bai Zhuoxuan’s loss felt the lesson was worthwhile, believing that if she seriously studies what Sabalenka taught her, she could gain a lot.

For example, she could clearly observe Sabalenka’s flexibility and tactical adjustments as the world No.1.

After gaining a 5-0 lead in the first set, Sabalenka probably did not expect Bai to resist her pace and power, so she slowed the tempo and focused on spin and placement, quickly regaining control over Bai.

Moreover, Bai’s inability to capitalize on break points in Sabalenka’s service games during the second set showed that the world No.1 knows how to boldly change tactics at critical moments—something Bai currently lacks, otherwise the match might have been more competitive.

Bai Zhuoxuan’s singles run at the Australian Open has ended, but expectations for Wu Yibing’s journey this year are rising.

After a tough four-set win over Italy’s Nardi in the first round, the former Chinese No.1 Wu Yibing boldly declared, “My goal is to reach the second week.”

Supporters believe that if Wu’s health holds, given his fighting spirit, resilience, and form shown against Nardi, there is genuine reason to be optimistic that the former Chinese top player will be revitalized.

However, some joked that Wu’s second-round opponent Spizzirri is tough, and if Wu can easily defeat him, then making the second week of the Australian Open is truly within reach.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlight River’s Starry Sky)