On January 14, 2025, the first round of the Australian Open concluded with a total record of 4 wins and 7 losses for Chinese players. Zheng Qinwen, Wang Yafan, Wang Xiyu, and Zhang Shuai advanced to challenge the top 32. There was a major upset in the men's singles competition as 10th seed Dimitrov withdrew due to injury, followed by 9th seed Rublev losing 0-3 to qualifier Fonseca, which was far from expectations.
In the men's singles, there was an upset as the qualifier defeated the 9th seed 3-0. Russian star Rublev lost 6-7(1)/3-6/6-7(5) to Brazilian player Fonseca, which was unexpected and considered the biggest upset since the start of this year's Australian Open. Rublev usually performs well in Grand Slams, often reaching at least the quarterfinals, while his opponent is only 18 years old and relatively inexperienced.
Many fans mentioned that Rublev's performance was poor and he did not live up to the level expected of a top ten seed. However, Fonseca's excellent performance must be acknowledged. The 18-year-old Brazilian made a name for himself in this match, and it will be interesting to see if he can continue to progress.
Five seeded players were eliminated, including men's 30th seed Pericard losing 2-3 to French player Monfils, 32nd seed Kobil losing 1-3 to Argentine player Echeverri, women's 26th seed Alexandrova losing 0-2 to British player Raducanu, 31st seed Sakkari losing 1-2 to Colombian player Osorio, and 13th seed Kalinskaya withdrawing, with lucky loser Li substituting.
Four Chinese players advanced to the second round: Zheng Qinwen won 2-0 against Todoni, Wang Yafan won 2-1 against Bondar, Wang Xiyu won 2-0 against Grabher, and Zhang Shuai won 2-0 against Kesler. Among them, Zhang Shuai's victory was particularly touching. Despite facing doubts from many fans about her alleged 24-match singles losing streak, the 36-year-old veteran proved herself with her skills. It should be noted that Kesler is not an easy opponent, having won a championship recently.
Seven more players were eliminated, with the men's singles suffering a complete loss. Zhang Zhizhen lost 2-3 to Rune, Bu Yunchaokete lost 0-3 to Habib, Yuan Yue lost 1-2 to Pavlyuchenkova, Zheng Saisai lost 0-2 to D. Andreieva, Wei Sijia lost 0-2 to Polini, Wang Xinyu lost 0-2 to Badosa, and Shang Juncheng withdrew while trailing, similar to the situation of 10th seed Bulgarian player Dimitrov. These losses were largely due to stronger opponents.
The four Chinese players will now challenge the women's singles top 32. Zheng Qinwen faces German player Siegemund, where normal play should suffice. The other three matches are challenging with lower chances of winning: Wang Xiyu faces 8th seed Navarro, Wang Yafan faces 9th seed Kasatkina, and Zhang Shuai faces 24th seed Putintseva. However, the final results will depend on individual performance on the day. Let's hope for some pleasant surprises and wish them good luck!