A total of 11 players from the Chinese mainland competed in the men's and women's singles first rounds at the Australian Open. Four advanced while the other seven were knocked out at the initial hurdle at Melbourne Park, in the first Grand Slam of the season.
In the women's bracket, fifth-seeded Zheng Qinwen showcased her skill by defeating Romania's Anca Todoni 7-6(3), 6-1 in their first head-to-head meeting. Despite a tough first set that lasted 75 minutes, Zheng powered through to secure her place in the second round, where she was later eliminated by Germany's Laura Siegemund.
Veteran Zhang Shuai, competing as a wildcard, made a significant comeback by winning against the USA's McCartney Kessler 6-3, 6-4. This victory marked her first win at a Grand Slam in two years. Similarly, Wang Xiyu demonstrated remarkable resilience by overcoming Austria's Julia Grabher 6-1, 7-5, achieving her first victory at Rod Laver Arena in three years. Wang Yafan also impressed by coming from a set down to defeat Hungary's Anna Bondar 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, advancing to the second round for the second consecutive year.
However, four other competitors faced early exits. Wang Xinyu was bested by the 11th-seeded Spaniard Paula Badosa, while Yuan Yue fought valiantly in a 136-minute match against Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova but ultimately fell short. Grand Slam debutant Wei Sijia was ousted by Italy's World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini, and Zheng Saisai concluded her Australian Open journey after a loss to Russia's Erika Andreeva.
On the men's side, none of the three Chinese mainland players advanced past the first round. Zhang Zhizhen competed fiercely against Denmark's World No. 13 Holger Rune in a five-set match but was narrowly defeated. Shang Juncheng had to withdraw from his match against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina due to a foot injury, and Buyunchaokete suffered a straight-sets defeat to qualifier Hady Habib, the first Lebanese male to reach a Grand Slam singles main draw.
The performances at the Australian Open highlight the determination and talent of the Chinese mainland athletes as they navigate the competitive landscape of international tennis.
Reference(s):
Four of 11 Chinese players advance to second round at Australian Open
cgtn.com
