The Chinese-American dark horse from the US withdrew due to injury, missing the chance to challenge Alcaraz, while a 15-year-old Chinese girl aims to win the Australian Open title.

The announcement of Zheng Rui’s withdrawal from the Australian Open surprised many, as no one anticipated that this Chinese-American underdog would conclude his Melbourne campaign like this.

Before facing American rising star Korda, few were aware of who Zheng Rui was. It wasn’t until he became Korda’s opponent in the Australian Open first round that details about Zheng Rui emerged: originally from Hubei; 21 years old this year; currently a senior psychology major at Columbia University; and of Chinese-American descent.

With this shared heritage connection, people began paying more attention to this young Chinese-American player who advanced to the main draw by winning three matches in the Australian Open qualifiers, hoping he would showcase his talent and bring surprises against a strong opponent like Korda in the first round.

After this highly anticipated match ended, Zheng Rui indeed caused an upset by defeating Korda in a five-set thriller, instantly thrusting him into the media spotlight as a qualifier-turned-dark horse, making everyone curious about how far he could go.

Thanks to his impressive performance against Korda in the first round, expectations for Zheng Rui rose significantly, and this 21-year-old Chinese-American player’s confidence soared. Consequently, many were eager to see if he could maintain this momentum against Moutet in the second round and excite fans and netizens even more.

In the match against Moutet, Zheng Rui played as brilliantly as he did when facing Korda. After three sets, it seemed either player could emerge victorious, and at the start of the fourth set, many speculated the match might go to a fifth set.

Unexpectedly, Zheng Rui announced his retirement from the match when he was down 0-2 in the fourth set, surprising many.

After Zheng Rui’s withdrawal, many fans and netizens initially hoped he could defeat Moutet and then challenge Alcaraz, possibly causing major trouble for the Spaniard and maybe even shattering Alcaraz’s Grand Slam dreams early in Melbourne Park. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed prematurely.

From the current public reaction, Zheng Rui’s strong showing at this year’s Australian Open has won the hearts of many fans and netizens, gaining him widespread recognition. For example, many openly say this Chinese-American player has great potential and could have made a deep run in Melbourne, so learning about his injury withdrawal brings much regret at missing out on his matches.

Although Zheng Rui’s injury withdrawal is disappointing, the 21-year-old Chinese-American player has expressed his desire to “appear in this year’s Chinese season.” This news is a great comfort to his fans and followers.

When talking about this year’s Chinese season, Zheng Rui specifically mentioned his Chinese language skills, saying, “If I return to China, I can handle basic situations, but casual conversations would be a bit difficult.”

From the message conveyed by this Chinese-American young player, one can imagine what kind of scene it will be when he appears in the Chinese season — it will surely be extremely enthusiastic.

After Zheng Rui’s withdrawal, there were many sighs and regrets, but another highly watched 15-year-old Chinese prodigy, Sun Xinran, brought good news to fans and netizens.

Sun Xinran, who burst into the spotlight by winning last year’s Orange Bowl, boldly declared her ambition shortly after her victory: “I want to win the Australian Open title.”

During the Australian Open period, Sun Xinran chose to warm up for the upcoming Australian Open junior event by participating in the Traralgon Challenger.

From the moment she stepped onto the court, Sun Xinran carried forward her excellent form from the Orange Bowl, ultimately winning the title by defeating the tournament’s top two seeds consecutively in the semifinals and finals, making the victory highly valuable.

After Sun Xinran’s championship, some boldly predicted that before claiming the Australian Open title, this young Chinese girl would likely secure the junior singles championship at this year’s Australian Open.

The reason is that the opponents Sun Xinran defeated in the semifinals and finals are this year’s top seed and second seed in the Australian Open junior category. If she can maintain this form, her chances of winning the junior girls’ singles title at this year’s Australian Open are very high.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River Starry Sky)