The first round of the Australian Open singles has concluded with mixed results for Chinese players. Bu Yun Chao Ke Te, Shang Jun Cheng, and Zhang Zhi Zhen were eliminated, leaving the Chinese men's singles team completely defeated. On the women's side, however, they performed well with Zheng Qin Wen, Zhang Shuai, Wang Ya Fan, and Wang Xi Yu advancing to the second round. As China's ace in tennis, Zheng Qin Wen had only one goal: to surpass herself and win a Grand Slam championship. In the first round, although her condition was not at its best, she managed to advance. In the second round, she faced German veteran Siegemund. Notably, due to Pereriba's temporary inability to coach, Zheng Qin Wen's coach changed to Botini.
In the first set, both sides were evenly matched, each winning four games. Siegemund even had an advantage on the court, but made more unforced errors. As a power player, she often posed significant challenges to Zheng Qin Wen. In the ninth game, Zheng Qin Wen's serve rhythm was affected, and Siegemund put pressure on her with aggressive receiving. Combined with Zheng's increased mistakes, she missed a game point and was broken by Siegemund, who then entered the serve-to-win set.
In the tenth game, Siegemund's own serve encountered problems, playing somewhat nervously with double faults. She was clearly less confident than before when receiving serves. Zheng Qin Wen finally capitalized on the break point and successfully broke back. In the eleventh game, Siegemund continued to aggressively attack the second serve, and Zheng Qin Wen was held up again. Fortunately, she had her serve to save the day and played a perfect drop shot to win the game. After Siegemund held the twelfth game, the match went into a tiebreak. Despite her age, Siegemund had strong mobility and tenacity, even saving high-pressure shots. Zheng Qin Wen lost three consecutive points in the set, while Siegemund served directly to win the tiebreak.
Zheng Qin Wen thought the match would be easier than it was. Her opponent was not someone who could be easily overwhelmed. Siegemund is a player of considerable strength and experience, requiring patience. In the second set, Siegemund started strongly, holding serve in the first game. In the second game, Zheng Qin Wen's mentality fluctuated, missing a sure point at the net and giving away a break point. Siegemund immediately capitalized. In the third game, Zheng Qin Wen wanted to use speed against Siegemund, aiming to score quickly without engaging in prolonged rallies. Siegemund posed a threat mainly in the serve-receive phase and could have slowed down the match pace. However, in this game, Zheng Qin Wen had incredible luck with two极限压边and net cord shots. After missing two break points, she managed to break back.
In the fourth game, the main referee warned Zheng Qin Wen about her serve again. Emotionally overwhelmed, she even shed tears and committed two double faults. Siegemund broke her serve once more. In the fifth game, Siegemund capitalized on her momentum, leading 4-1 overall. In the sixth game, with no room for retreat, Zheng Qin Wen held serve smoothly. In the seventh game, Siegemund quickly earned three game points, but Zheng Qin Wen did not give up. However, her opponent executed a brilliant passing shot to win another game. In the eighth game, Zheng Qin Wen remained competitive, but soon faced Siegemund's serve to win the match. Siegemund played freely, especially in her timing of approaching the net, earning three match points forcefully. Zheng Qin Wen lost the point with a drop shot, and Siegemund won 6-3, defeating Zheng Qin Wen 2-0 in total, making her the highest-seeded player eliminated so far in the tournament. As a late bloomer who has suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury, Siegemund earned respect through her hard work and determination.