China's top player Zhang Zhizhen has made a new move on social media, sharing photos of his arrival in Perth, Australia and his preparations for the United Cup. He also revealed his feelings after arriving, saying that the weather there is hotter than he expected, and he hasn't been in such hot conditions for a long time. However, he will do his best to adapt and strive for good results in this United Cup.
The temporary withdrawal of Zheng Qinwen has greatly affected the strength of the Chinese team. In foreign websites' predictions for the United Cup, China initially had a chance to win the championship, ranking fifth, only behind the United States, Poland, Greece, and Kazakhstan, and at the same level as Italy and Germany. However, after Zheng Qinwen withdrew, China's chances of winning dropped to 11th place.
The reason for this drop is the poor performance of China's women's singles. Looking at the current situation, the top women's singles player sent by China is Gao Xinui, who is ranked only 175th in the world. She will have to face Brazil's number one player, Maia, and Germany's number one player, Siegemund. Gao Xinui has never even entered the top 100 in the world or played in the main draw of a Grand Slam. Whether it's about strength or fame, she is far behind.
This means that China has no chance of scoring in the women's singles event. If they want to advance from the group, they can only rely on Zhang Zhizhen and the mixed doubles. Zhang Zhizhen will face opponents from Germany, Zverev, and Brazil, Monteiro. When facing Monteiro, Zhang Zhizhen may have a chance to create an upset, but when facing Zverev, it will be difficult for him to win.
Originally, China planned to let Zheng Qinwen win first in the women's singles, followed by Zhang Zhizhen fighting hard in the men's singles. If they could win, it would be great, and even if they lost, they could still rely on the mixed doubles to compete. At the Paris Olympics, Zhang Zhizhen helped China win the silver medal in mixed doubles, so China has certain advantages in this aspect. However, after replacing the women's singles player with Gao Xinui, this plan had to be put on hold, and China may have gone from aiming for the top eight to just participating.
According to the competition format, 18 teams are divided into 6 groups, with 3 teams in each group, and they will compete in the Sydney and Perth venues respectively. Each match consists of three major players: men's singles, women's singles, and mixed doubles. The group stage is like a circular battle, conducted in a round-robin format. The first place from each of the six groups and the second-place teams with the best records from each venue will advance to the quarter-finals like warriors. The teams that advance to the quarter-finals will then go to Sydney to compete in the semi-finals and finals.
Here is the list of participants for the Chinese team in the United Cup:
The leader is Wu Di. In the men's singles, Zhang Zhizhen, Bai Yan, and Sun Fajing will participate; in the women's singles, Gao Xinui and Zhang Shuai will participate. Leader Wu Di will lead Zhang Zhizhen, Bai Yan, and Sun Fajing to fight in the men's singles arena, while Gao Xinui and Zhang Shuai will show their style in the women's singles arena. Leader Wu Di leads the team members, with Zhang Zhizhen, Bai Yan, and Sun Fajing in the men's singles, and Gao Xinui and Zhang Shuai in the women's singles. They are all ready and about to step onto the court.