12 consecutive losses! Yuan Yue's Grand Slam losing streak continues

The initial round of the 2026 Australian Open men's and women's singles events is complete, featuring four players from mainland China in each category, who collectively achieved a 4-4 record.

In men's singles, Zhang Zhizhen, who had an average draw, faced seeded player Cerundolo in the first round and lost 3-6, 6-7(0), 3-6, failing to advance; Bu Yunchaokete also met a seeded opponent in the first round — the 21st seed Shapovalov. As the Asia-Pacific wildcard champion, Bu did not pose much challenge and was defeated in straight sets.

Wu Yibing and Shang Juncheng both won their first-round matches to reach the second round in men's singles. Wu Yibing’s victory marked his first main-draw Grand Slam win at Melbourne Park and his first Grand Slam main-draw match win since the 2023 US Open.

“I am gradually getting my body back on track and participating in each tournament in a healthier condition. I believe that with my level, my ranking will naturally improve,” Wu Yibing said after the match.

On the women's side, the two Chinese players who exited in the first round were Zhang Shuai and Yuan Yue. Although Yuan Yue lost, she played quite well considering her opponent was the tournament’s second seed, Swiatek.

In a post-match interview reviewing the match, Yuan Yue openly shared a difference in her mindset: “Actually, I enjoyed playing today. The biggest difference from last time was that previously, at the net, I thought Swiatek was a superstar, which made me too nervous.”

“But today, I managed my mental state very well, going out with confidence and firmly executing my tactics. This time I completely changed my mindset — whether she’s world number two or number 100, I tried to treat her as a normal opponent.”

Although she ultimately didn’t pull off an upset, Yuan Yue gained a lot from the experience. At the same time, she extended her Grand Slam losing streak to 12 matches, having lost her opening match in 12 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments since the 2023 Australian Open (11 of those losses were in the first round). Many of these matches went to three sets against top players like Swiatek, Paolini, Andreescu, Azarenka, and Sakkari.

For Yuan Yue, this Grand Slam losing streak is surely temporary. As long as she maintains the form and mentality she showed against Swiatek in this Australian Open first round, ending the streak is only a matter of time.

Since the Open Era began, the longest losing streaks in women’s singles are: Gacon with 16 consecutive losses, followed by Kasatkina/Misaki Doi with 15, and Kleybanova and Zhang Shuai with 14.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)