China's Tennis Star Makes Impressive Comeback, Advancing to Australian Open Quarterfinals in Both Doubles and Mixed Doubles, Earning Over $650,000 in Prizes
On January 20th, Beijing time, Zhang Shuai and her doubles partner, Meladonovic, defeated the pair of Zhan Haoqing and Kichenok with a total score of 2-0 in the women's doubles round of 16 at the Australian Open, advancing strongly to the quarterfinals. Additionally, due to their walkover victory in the mixed doubles event the previous day, Zhang Shuai has now advanced to the quarterfinals in both women's doubles and mixed doubles, demonstrating her exceptional strength in doubles play.
In the singles competition, a total of 11 Chinese players participated, with the best result being a second-round exit, including the No. 5 seed Zheng Qinwen. However, the elimination in singles does not mean that Chinese players have said goodbye to all events at the Australian Open, as there are still doubles competitions, where the 35-year-old Zhang Shuai is competing in both women's doubles and mixed doubles.
Previously in the women's singles, Zhang Shuai was eliminated in the second round. Now, on the doubles court, she has been winning consecutively and continues to challenge for the championship. Why is this so? Because Zhang Shuai has won two Grand Slam doubles titles in her career, including the 2019 Australian Open women's doubles title and the 2021 US Open women's doubles title. She also finished as the runner-up in the 2022 Wimbledon women's doubles and the 2024 US Open women's doubles, with a record that can be called brilliant in the doubles arena.
At this year's Australian Open, Zhang Shuai partnered with Meladonovic in the women's doubles, listed as the No. 9 seed, with excellent chemistry between the two. They reached the final at last year's US Open.
In the first set, Zhang Shuai's team started off poorly, facing a 0-4 deficit after being broken twice. However, they broke back in the sixth and eighth games to level the score at 6-6. In the subsequent tiebreak, Zhang Shuai's team won 7-3, securing the first set.
In the second set, Zhang Shuai's team played more cohesively, breaking their opponents' serve in the first and third games, followed by holding their own serves. Zhang Shuai's team won the set 6-2, sweeping their way into the quarterfinals with a total score of 2-0.
Thus, after partnering with Meladonovic, Zhang Shuai has advanced to the quarterfinals in consecutive Grand Slams, including her return to the Australian Open women's doubles quarterfinals after six years, which is also her tenth time reaching the women's doubles quarterfinals at a Grand Slam event.
According to the prize money distribution plan of the Australian Open, doubles teams that advance to the quarterfinals can receive 142,000 Australian dollars, equivalent to about 650,000 yuan, which is split evenly.
It is worth noting that in the mixed doubles match the previous day, Zhang Shuai and her partner Bopanna received a walkover gift from their opponents, ultimately advancing to the quarterfinals without playing. As a result, Zhang Shuai has earned 650,000 yuan in prize money from both women's doubles and mixed doubles, plus 910,000 yuan from the second round of women's singles, totaling 1.56 million yuan in prize money so far.
Despite the lackluster performance in singles, Zhang Shuai is making progress in both doubles events and has the potential to challenge for the championship.