Australian Open Women's Singles Second Round: Zheng Qinwen Loses Unexpectedly, Sabalenka Advances to Quarterfinals
In the second round of the women's singles at the Australian Open, Zheng Qinwen suffered an unexpected defeat and was eliminated from the third round. Following this, her rival, Sabalenka, continued her strong performance in the round of 16 against the 14th seed, Mirra Avanesian, winning both sets with a score of 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals once again. It is worth noting that before the main draw of the Australian Open began, many fans had high hopes for Zheng Qinwen, even considering strategies and tactics for her potential match against Sabalenka in the round of 16. However, reality proved to be quite different from these expectations as Zheng Qinwen was surprisingly eliminated in the second round of the main draw, missing the opportunity to face Sabalenka.
During her match against the 14th seed, Mirra Avanesian, Sabalenka displayed exceptional dominance, facing little resistance en route to victory. In the first set, Sabalenka quickly found her rhythm and completely overpowered Avanesian, who could only struggle to keep up. Sabalenka played steadily, gradually increasing the gap in the score. Ultimately, she won the first set 6-1, taking an early lead and putting Avanesian on the back foot.
In the second set, Avanesian attempted to make targeted adjustments to gain an advantage over Sabalenka. Unfortunately, these changes did not yield success, as Sabalenka maintained her consistent play and continued to hold the upper hand. Sabalenka broke Avanesian's serve in the third and seventh games, advancing to the decisive game. In the eighth game, Sabalenka remained solid, successfully holding serve to win the set 6-2. With two sets completed, Sabalenka secured a 2-0 victory over Avanesian, advancing to the quarterfinals.
After the match between Sabalenka and Avanesian, many netizens and fans commented that the gap between Zheng Qinwen and Sabalenka is indeed significant, far beyond just a minor difference. Additionally, some fans called on others to stop excessively praising Zheng Qinwen, suggesting that doing so could potentially harm her career. It is true that Zheng Qinwen achieved remarkable results in the 2024 season, winning three gold medals, including one at the Olympics, and reaching the final at the beginning of the Australian Open.
The current issue is that Zheng Qinwen's competitive state is vastly different from that of the 2024 season, to the point of being worlds apart. In such circumstances, continuing to hype Zheng Qinwen could indeed have a negative impact on her. However, it should be remembered that ups and downs are normal in competitive sports, and no one remains undefeated forever. It is important to maintain a balanced perspective. Zheng Qinwen may have lost this time, but there will be opportunities to win in the future, and there is no need to dwell excessively on this setback.