Opening day at the US Open brought a wave of heartbreak for Chinese tennis fans as all four women’s singles stars fell in the first round 🎾💔. Wang Xiyu, Zhang Shuai, Wang Yafan and Zhu Lin gave it their all, but the tough competition at Flushing Meadows proved too strong.
Fresh off a grueling qualifying run, 21-year-old Wang Xiyu squared off against Latvian firebrand Jelena Ostapenko. It was a rollercoaster, but Wang lost 6-4, 6-3, repeating last year’s early exit. She’ll be hungry to train harder and make a deeper run next season.
Veteran Zhang Shuai, who also battled through qualifying, ran into 16th seed Belinda Bencic from Switzerland. Despite her experience, Zhang fell 6-3, 6-3, ending her hopes of a big late-career splash in New York.
In one of the day’s tightest matches, Wang Yafan had the crowd on her side, leading Emma Navarro 5-3 and even holding three match points in the opening set. But the American fought back to win 7-6, 6-3, in a heart-stopping tiebreaker.
Zhu Lin took her fight to a third set against Russia’s Anastasia Potapova, but after trading sets 6-4, 4-6, she fell 6-2 in the decider. Still, her grit and marathon mindset won her plenty of respect.
With those exits, the Chinese mainland’s hopes are now pinned on only two women’s singles players—Yuan Yue, who steps onto the court Monday night, and Wang Xinyu, slated for Tuesday. The pressure is on, but the chance to reignite national pride is just a match away 🌟.
Stay tuned for more updates from Flushing Meadows, where dreams can shatter… and soar 💪✨.
Reference(s):
Heartbreak for China as four women's singles players exit US Open
cgtn.com
