Chinese players make historic achievement at Australian Open

After Wang Yafan's 2-1 win over Emma Raducanu in the second round, Melbourne Park witnessed a historic moment for Chinese tennis players at the Australian Open – three mainland Chinese singles players securing a spot in the Round of 32 for the first time.

Participating in the Australian Open for the second time, 21-year-old Zheng Qinwen climbed from 29th to 12th seed. This marks the highest seed ranking for a Chinese player since Li Na's title win in 2014 as fourth seed. Zheng secured a comeback victory in the first round against America's Ashlyn Krueger and triumphed over British rival Katie Boulter in a challenging second-round battle.

Reflecting on the overall development of Chinese players, Zheng said everyone is making progress, fostering healthy competition and collective growth. She lauded Shang Juncheng's historic breakthrough at such a young age, describing him as a genius in Chinese men's singles tennis.

In 2023, 17-year-old rising star Shang made history as the first mainland Chinese male player to reach the second round of the Australian Open in the Open Era. Returning with a wildcard, Shang defeated Mackenzie McDonald of the US and India's Sumit Nagal, setting a new record for the best performance by a Chinese mainland male player at the Australian Open.

In contrast to Zheng and Shang, Wang Yafan's "highlight moment" came a bit later. Competing in Grand Slam main draws since 2016, she now celebrates her first-ever Round of 32 appearance in her professional career. The 29-year-old orchestrated a stunning comeback after losing nine consecutive games, triumphing over 22nd seed Sorana Cirstea of Romania. In a resilient face-off against former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, Wang secured another memorable victory.

On January 20, Zheng will face Wang in a Chinese Derby, while Shang will play against 2nd seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. Regardless of the outcomes, Chinese players have already secured at least one last 16 spot. "I relax and play on the court, doing what I want to do. Regardless of the outcome, I will be very happy and have no regrets," Shang said.