On January 10th, Beijing time, the 2025 WTT Doha Star Challenge continued with singles matches entering the second round. However, for some high-ranked players, this was their first singles match due to a bye in the first round.
In the women's singles, there was a focus match between China's Shi Xunyao and Japan's world champion Hirano Miu. In terms of strength, Shi Xunyao was not at a disadvantage and even had a better chance to win. She has strong technical abilities and plays steadily. Her state was good in the second half of last year, including a victory over Zhang Benmeihe, making her a very capable player. Hirano Miu's performance has been good mainly in team events in recent years, but her individual results have not been ideal.
The match began with Shi Xunyao playing aggressively and actively, continuously attacking and scoring points to lead 3-1. She played fast and took the initiative to suppress Hirano Miu, maintaining stability in multi-shot rallies. It was Hirano Miu's mistakes that allowed Shi Xunyao to continue leading 6-2. Despite Hirano Miu's attempts to change lines and increase quality, she still made errors, resulting in Shi Xunyao easily winning the first set 11-4, dominating the rallies.
In the second set, Hirano Miu clearly improved the quality of her shots, enhancing her singles performance. However, Shi Xunyao remained advantageous in rallies, leading the score 6-3. Shi Xunyao's tactical changes were numerous, but she made receiving errors, allowing Hirano Miu to catch up to 7-7. Fortunately, Shi Xunyao's ability to hold rallies was strong, enabling her to score even in passive situations, ultimately winning the second set 11-8.
The third set started with a close battle at 3-3. Hirano Miu took the initiative to change lines, which worked well initially. However, Shi Xunyao was faster and more daring in her shots, playing decisively to lead 7-5 in the middle of the set. Whenever the rally extended, Shi Xunyao could gain an advantage, eventually winning the set 11-8 and sweeping Hirano Miu in three sets.
Japan suffered consecutive losses, with Zhang Benmeihe surprisingly losing 2-3 to Thailand's Paranan. The first set went smoothly, with Zhang Benmeihe winning 11-7. In the second set, Paranan played well, taking the initiative in rallies to win 11-9 and level the match. Zhang Benmeihe regained her form in the third set, winning 11-7, but dropped her state significantly in the fourth set, making many errors and passively losing 4-11. In the decisive fifth set, she still couldn't regain her form, losing 7-11 in a cold upset.
As the No. 2 seed in the women's singles, Zhang Benmeihe was eliminated in her first singles match, possibly due to participating in three events, but mainly because of her own performance.
For the Chinese women's singles team, it was a big victory. Not only did they sweep Hirano Miu, but also Kuai Man defeated Oshima Kaho, a morale-boosting match that secured her two consecutive victories. Additionally, He Zhuojia swept French youngster Pavaud 3-0, demonstrating the outstanding performance of the Chinese women's singles overall.
Taiwanese player Ye Yitan defeated Chu Qianxi 3-1, which can also be considered an upset. The last two sets were fiercely contested, with both ending in close scores of 12-10. Ye Yitan's performance this time was excellent, defeating renowned players consecutively. Her victories demonstrate her strength, and she might have the opportunity to become a mainstay of the Taiwanese women's team, currently appearing stronger than Chen Siyu.
After Chu Qianxi's elimination, South Korea's women's singles were left with only her. Meanwhile, Japan's Hina Hayata defeated her teammate to advance, while Miu Kihara eliminated German player Mittelham 3-1, and Miyuu Nagasaki turned the tables to defeat Yangzi Liu 3-1.
In this round, Japan lost three players, all of them notable names, especially Zhang Benmeihe. Originally, without the main players of the Chinese team participating, she had the opportunity to challenge for the championship, but unexpectedly exited in the first round.