Zhang Zhizhen falters in opening match while Bai Zhuoxuan redeems the setback, creating the biggest upset in women's singles and making Turkish tennis history

Everyone was aware that Zhang Zhizhen’s attempt to lead the Chinese tennis team to a win at the Australian Open would be challenging, but the result was far more painful than expected! Thankfully, Bai Zhuoxuan compensated for this loss, securing the opening victory for Chinese tennis on the first day of the Australian Open!

When the draw came out, seeing Zhang Zhizhen face Cerundolo in the first round sparked heated arguments among fans and netizens. Some said Zhang’s draw wasn’t great but with a 2-1 head-to-head advantage, he still had hope if he gave his best; others believed Zhang was unlikely to get past the first round, pointing out that bookmakers offered him 3-to-1 odds, far worse than Cerundolo’s 1.4-to-1, but they agreed that even if Cerundolo won, it would likely be a tough match, probably lasting at least four sets, with a possibility of five sets.

Once the match began, fans and viewers in the live chat urged Zhang Zhizhen from the start of the first set to go all out aggressively, aiming to disrupt Cerundolo’s rhythm early on, hoping for a potential upset to defy the bookmakers’ odds.

However, Cerundolo proved to be no ordinary player; he exploited Zhang Zhizhen’s weak serve by effectively countering and quickly dominated the former Chinese No.1, reaching a commanding 5-0 lead in the first set.

Seeing Zhang Zhizhen suffer such a disastrous start, fans and viewers in the chat exclaimed that even a legendary figure descending from the heavens would struggle to save him at this point.

As it turned out, although a stunned Zhang Zhizhen rallied to win three consecutive games after waking up, the consistently strong Cerundolo still took the first set 6-3.

Despite Zhang losing the first set, many believed before the second set began that, judging by his improved form near the end of the first set and the cold determination visible in his eyes, he would fight fiercely in the second set; otherwise, losing another set would make a comeback from 1-2 nearly impossible.

The second set started with intense exchanges between the two. Although Zhang Zhizhen broke serve first after three games, fans saw him battling hard to level the score and push the set into a tiebreak, giving hope that he could even the match.

Unexpectedly, this hope was shattered when Zhang completely lost resistance in the tiebreak, eventually losing it without scoring a point, which put him in a do-or-die situation for the rest of the match.

Shortly after the third set began, viewers in the live chat already declared the match outcome was certain. Zhang Zhizhen not only failed to find a way to counter Cerundolo’s strength but was also outmatched in baseline rallies, making it impossible to continue competitively.

Thus, after Zhang Zhizhen lost the third set 3-6 and was eliminated, fans comforted the former Chinese No.1, urging him to gather himself and focus on the doubles match with Shang Juncheng, hoping for a surprise performance in Melbourne.

It’s worth noting that after Zhang Zhizhen’s first-round loss in his bid for a Chinese opening win at the Australian Open, Bai Zhuoxuan, who played next, shocked many by defeating Russian Pavlyuchenkova in a tough three-set battle, achieving the opening victory that Zhang couldn’t, much to everyone’s delight!

From being favored before the match to his disappointing three-set defeat, Zhang Zhizhen’s performance fell short of expectations. On the same opening day, another major disappointment came from the women’s singles side with Aleksandrova.

As the 11th seed, almost everyone expected the Russian star to easily overcome the Turkish player Senmez, ranked 112th in the world, in the first round.

Surprisingly, Aleksandrova lost after a hard-fought three sets, becoming the highest-seeded female player eliminated on the first day and causing the biggest upset in the women’s singles at the Australian Open opening day.

The shock over Aleksandrova’s upset was not only due to her high seed but also linked to her performance in the first set.

The Russian led 5-2 in the first set, and no one expected Senmez to turn it around. However, Aleksandrova inexplicably shifted from a dominant player to a passive one, watching helplessly as the Turkish player won five consecutive games to overturn the set, causing a stir among fans.

Because of this unexpected turn in the first set, many believed Senmez’s relentless fight could produce the biggest upset on the opening day of the Australian Open, and the Turkish player ultimately fulfilled that expectation.

In contrast to Aleksandrova’s early exit, Senmez stepped up on the Russian star’s defeat and achieved a personal milestone by becoming the first Turkish female player to win a main draw match at the Australian Open in history.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlight River’s Starry Sky)