來源：體壇網2024-08-15 12:49
巴黎奧運會第二周同期舉行的加拿大站比賽可謂星光黯淡、冷門不斷。然而，隨著奧運會的結束，本周將在辛辛那提舉行的1000系列賽，迎來了大多數高排位選手的回歸，為即將到來的美網做最後的熱身。這場比賽的競爭自然要比加拿大站激烈許多。Four Four China's golden flowers played in the first round of the women's singles, and they all drew high-ranked opponents, ultimately failing to get off to a good start.
Among the four, the most attention-grabbing is Wang Xinyu. After winning the mixed doubles silver medal at the Paris Olympics, her popularity and attention have been on the rise in China. However, her luck was a bit unfavorable this time, as she drew the 10th seed, Samsonova, who reached the quarter-finals in Canada last week, in the first round. In the end, Wang Xinyu lost with two sets of 4-6, failing to advance to the second round. In addition, in the women's doubles first round the day before, after losing the first set, due to her partner Zheng Saisai's injury recurrence, the two chose to withdraw.
It was not surprising that veteran Zhang Shuai lost the game. In the first round, she encountered the strong 20-year-old Schneider, who won the silver medal in women's doubles at the Paris Olympics and reached the semi-finals in Canada last week. Zhang Shuai eventually lost with sets of 1-6 and 4-6, suffering her 22nd consecutive loss in singles matches. She not only continued to break the record for consecutive losses in women's singles, but also currently holds the top spot when counting male players. Zhang Shuai's singles ranking has now dropped to around 700th place. After exhausting her protected ranking, she is likely to focus on doubles.
Yuan Yue came the closest to victory. Facing Fernandez, the former US Open runner-up who was only 13 places higher in the rankings, she was leading with sets of 6-3 and 4-2 at one point, only two sets away from victory. However, she was eventually reversed by her opponent with sets of 6-4 and 6-3. Last week, Yuan Yue also participated in the Canada tournament, but she was defeated by the world No. 3 Sabalenka in the second round. She originally hoped to make a push for a seeding at the Cincinnati Open, as her ranking has reached 38, only 6 places away from the seed. Unfortunately, she failed to seize the opportunity.
Wang Yafan, who did not participate in the Olympics, also failed to advance past the first round. This time, she started from the qualifiers and successively defeated Errani and Andreescu, but in the main draw, she met the Ukrainian player Svitolina. After a tough three-set battle, she was reversed with sets of 7-5, 3-6, and 2-6. Last week in Canada, Wang Yafan also made it through the qualifiers and lost to the top seed, Barty, in the second round. Therefore, her recent form has been quite good.
Of course, everyone is most excited about the newly crowned Olympic women's singles champion, Zheng Qianwen. After the Olympics, she arrived in Cincinnati early and even trained with Svitolina. It seems that after losing to Zheng Qianwen at the Olympics, the world No. 1 has already regarded Chinese players as one of her main competitors. However, Zheng Qianwen subsequently canceled her training sessions with Leykina and Fernandez due to a fever. As the 7th seed in this tournament, Zheng Qianwen received a bye in the first round and will face Polish player Frech in the second round.
In terms of strength, Zheng Qianwen certainly has an advantage. However, considering the current situation - the relentless long-distance travels, the transition from clay to hard court, and the sudden illness - her North American debut may not be too easy. But regardless of whether she can win her North American debut, the most important thing is the upcoming US Open. Zheng Qianwen reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time there last year, so there is still some pressure to maintain her ranking points. In order to compete for a spot in the season-ending Championship, Zheng Qianwen has also registered for the Guadalajara 500 tournament after the US Open.