Melbourne, Australia — Chinese tennis players made a strong start in the doubles events at the Australian Open on Thursday, as four pairs featuring athletes from the Chinese mainland advanced to the second round.
Yuan Yue teamed up with Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia to secure a convincing 6-2, 6-1 victory over Katarzyna Kawa of Poland and Kimberley Zimmermann of Belgium. Their consistent serving allowed them to build solid leads early in both sets, paving the way for a swift win.
In an all-Chinese face-off, Wang Xinyu and Zheng Saisai took on compatriot Wang Xiyu and her Kazakhstani partner Yulia Putintseva. After clinching the first set 6-2, Wang Xinyu and Zheng faced a challenge as their opponents leveled the match by taking the second set 6-3. In a thrilling decider, Wang Xinyu and Zheng overcame a 5-2 deficit, breaking serve in the eighth game and ultimately winning 7-5.
Guo Hanyu, partnering with Alexandra Panova of Russia, defeated Australia’s Taylah Preston and Lizette Cabrera 6-4, 7-6. This marks Guo’s second consecutive year reaching the women’s doubles second round, and the duo extended their winning streak to five matches.
On the men’s side, Zhang Zhizhen joined forces with Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic to overcome Guido Andreozzi of Argentina and Theo Arribage of France 7-5, 6-4, advancing to the round of 32.
The strong performances by players from the Chinese mainland highlight their growing presence on the international tennis stage, promising exciting matches ahead in the tournament.
Reference(s):
Chinese players start well in doubles events at Australian Open
cgtn.com
