Wu Yibing smashed his racket in anger but still secured a winning start, while Wang Xinyu advanced, becoming the most pitied girl on the internet.

At the start of the second week of the new season, Chinese players maintained their impressive form from the first week, delivering performances that did not disappoint, especially Wu Yibing and Wang Xinyu who deserve special recognition.

Being the first Chinese male player to participate in this Australian Open qualifying tournament, Wu Yibing was under close watch as people wanted to see if he could lead by example like Zhu Lin and help Chinese men’s tennis get off to a good start at the Australian Open.

Wu Yibing’s first-round opponent in the Australian Open qualifiers was Krueger. Although the American was ranked only 203rd, he was no novice. Wu and Krueger had met twice before, each winning once, making their head-to-head even.

Since Wu Yibing won their most recent encounter, this highly anticipated match was dubbed by fans and netizens as the American’s chance for revenge, curious to see how the former Chinese top player would perform against Krueger’s powerful serve.

This match’s intensity was evident from the very beginning, with both players fiercely contesting the first set and each trying to dominate while successfully defending, making the early games the real climax.

When the score reached 5-5, many expected a tiebreak in the first set, but Wu Yibing suddenly shifted tactics, combining drop shots, baseline attacks, and net approaches to surprise his opponent, disrupting the American’s rhythm and eventually clinching the set 7-5 in a thrilling finish.

It must be said that Wu Yibing securing the first set was crucial in taking control of the match. Under mounting pressure, Krueger lost the composure he showed in the first set. After Wu broke serve first, no matter how hard the American fought back, the former Chinese number one gave no chances, closing the match 6-4 and becoming the third Chinese player to advance in the Australian Open qualifiers.

Although Wu Yibing’s winning start at the Australian Open was a happy moment, reviewing the intense battle with Krueger reveals a tense episode near the end of the second set that caused concern.

Wu Yibing reached the peak of the match at 5-3, serving for the match point. Many thought he would close it out easily, but surprisingly, after wasting two match points, he was broken by his opponent. Seeing Wu smash his racket in frustration like an enraged lion and lose emotional control worried fans and netizens that such a mindset might lead to a comeback against him, wasting all his previous efforts.

Fortunately, after receiving a warning from the referee, Wu Yibing quickly regained his composure and safely sealed the victory, advancing to the second round of the Australian Open qualifiers.

Compared to the nerve-wracking moment Wu Yibing experienced during his Australian Open win, Wang Xinyu’s first-round match at the Hobart 250 tournament was much smoother.

In her match against Gibson, Wang Xinyu showed the form of the newly crowned Auckland runner-up right from the first set, making it clear to fans and netizens that Gibson had no chance against the graceful Chinese player.

After Wang easily took the first set 6-2, almost everyone believed it would be extremely difficult for Gibson to overturn the match in the second set. As long as China’s second-ranked player maintained the same level of play, the outcome was essentially decided.

Wang Xinyu did not disappoint her supporters, suppressing Gibson again from the start of the second set and closing the match 6-3, reaching the last 16 in back-to-back tournaments in the new season.

Before the match, some said Wang Xinyu might struggle in the first set due to her heavy defeat by Svitolina in the Auckland final, but surprisingly, Wang was unaffected and even appeared to be in better shape than in Auckland.

However, Wang Xinyu’s comments in the post-match interview surprised many and made her the most pitied girl on the internet!

“We flew from Auckland yesterday and missed our connecting flight, so we only arrived at 9 PM. I warmed up just two hours ago and then went straight to the court, so I really felt tired.” Many thought Wang had fully prepared for the match after seeing her easy win over Gibson, but it turned out she rushed onto the court, leading some netizens to say it was incredible to perform so well under such tough conditions.

Yet some fans and netizens were extremely excited, saying that Wang’s victory with only two hours of preparation showed she might replicate the brilliant moments of her predecessor Zheng Jie.

Zheng Jie won Hobart in 2005, and now with Wang Xinyu showing excellent form, many look forward to her repeating Zheng’s feat after 21 years, making up for the disappointment of losing the Auckland final.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River’s Starry Sky)