Beijing Time January 7th, the first round of the Australian Open qualifiers saw Gao Xin-yu face off against Kefelmanns. This outstanding Chinese player, who had previously impressed in the Fed Cup, emerged victorious with a 2-0 win, marking her first victory in this year's Australian Open qualifiers.
In the previous Fed Cup competition, Gao Xin-yu replaced Zheng Qinwen and quickly gained recognition from fans for her late-blooming talent. She won both her group stage matches, leaving a deep impression. Now, participating in the Australian Open qualifiers, Gao Xin-yu has not disappointed.
In the first set, Kefelmanns served first but was overwhelmed by Gao Xin-yu's pressure, leading to numerous errors. Gao Xin-yu broke early and dominated the match, winning 6-0 and taking a 1-0 lead. Seeing her own mistakes, Kefelmanns could only laugh helplessly.
The second set saw Kefelmanns continue to gift points with her errors. Gao Xin-yu gratefully accepted these gifts and easily won another 6-0 set, securing a 2-0 victory and advancing to the next round.
Prior to Gao Xin-yu, several other Chinese players competed in the qualifiers. Wei Sijia narrowly defeated Sasnovich 2-1, advancing to the second round – the first victory for a Chinese player in this year's Australian Open qualifiers. Including Gao Xin-yu, at least two Chinese players made it to the second round on this day. Unfortunately, Zhu Lin, the earliest competitor, was eliminated after a 0-2 defeat, missing out on the second round. Shi Han is also set to compete in the qualifiers against Teyshman; as of the article's deadline, the match had not concluded, and we hope Shi Han can advance successfully.
It's worth noting that this year's Australian Open has set a new record for prize money. In addition to the championship prize of 3.5 million Australian dollars, even the qualifying rounds have seen an increase in prize money. Gao Xin-yu and Wei Sijia, who advanced to the second round of the qualifiers, each received 49,000 Australian dollars (approximately 220,000 RMB), a substantial sum for both players. If they reach the third round of the qualifiers, the prize will rise to 72,000 Australian dollars, and those who make it to the main draw will earn 132,000 Australian dollars. The prize money increases significantly with each subsequent win. We hope that Gao Xin-yu, Wei Sijia, and others can follow in Zheng Qinwen's footsteps and go as far as possible in the Australian Open!