Chinese Tennis Star Misses Australian Open Main Draw, Zheng Qinwen Aims for Grand Slam Title, with a Prize of 16.1 Million
January 7th, 2025 at 01:45 by Sports You and Me
In the early morning of January 7th, Beijing time, the first round of the Australian Open qualifying matches saw Zhu Lin face off against Janjicijevic. Unfortunately, this Chinese tennis star lost 1-2 to her opponent, ending her journey early and missing out on the main draw.
Due to her low world ranking, Zhu Lin did not secure a direct entry spot and had to participate in the qualifying rounds. The rules state that there are a total of three rounds in the qualifiers. In the first round, she faced Janjicijevic, and she could only advance to the next round by defeating her opponent. However, Zhu Lin lost her first match unexpectedly.
In the first set, Janjicijevic quickly found her rhythm and took it 6-3, putting Zhu Lin in a desperate situation. Fortunately, in the second set, Zhu Lin made positive adjustments and responded with a 6-1 victory, leveling the total score at 1-1.
In the decisive set, the first four games ended with both players tied at 2-2. In the fifth game, serving for Janjicijevic, Zhu Lin once led but unfortunately, her opponent managed to reverse and hold serve successfully. In the crucial sixth game, Zhu Lin made multiple mistakes, resulting in a break of serve and falling behind 2-4. Zhu Lin's mentality was visibly affected afterward, and she lost the following two games, ultimately losing another set 2-6 and being eliminated with a total score of 1-2, completely missing out on the Australian Open main draw.
For Zhu Lin, this match was indeed a pity. She had already regained some form in the second set and saw a glimmer of hope for a comeback. Unfortunately, in the third set, she was broken at a critical moment, leading to her eventual collapse and loss of the opportunity to advance.
Although Zhu Lin has been eliminated, several other Chinese female tennis players have secured spots in the main draw of this year's Australian Open, including Zheng Qinwen, Wang Xiuyu, Zhang Shuai, and Wang Xinyu, among others. However, despite the significant number of participants, only Zheng Qinwen seems capable of winning the championship. Last year, Zheng Qinwen narrowly missed the title, but now, as the top-ranked Chinese women's singles player who has made significant progress, she will aim to claim her first Grand Slam title.
It is worth noting that this year's Australian Open has set a new record for prize money. If a player reaches the round of 64, they will receive a prize of 200,000 Australian dollars (approximately 910,000 RMB). If they win the championship, the prize increases to 3.5 million Australian dollars (nearly 16.1 million RMB). If Zheng Qinwen were to win, she would receive the largest prize of her career. However, this year's Australian Open is filled with strong competitors. Besides the defending champion and her nemesis Sabalenka, Zheng Qinwen will also face opponents like Swiatek, Gauff, and Rybakina. As the No. 5 seed in the tournament, Zheng Qinwen will likely encounter weaker opponents in the early stages of the Australian Open, but she will almost certainly face formidable foes later on. In situations where the difference in strength is not significant, Zheng Qinwen's on-court performance will determine her fate. Fortunately, Zheng Qinwen's serve is very powerful, and after winter training, her level may have improved even further. We hope that she can bring pleasant surprises to the fans in the upcoming matches!