Zheng returns to Melbourne as a different force, injury spoils Osaka’s chances
By ATF Staff
Qinwen Zhang provided a glimpse of what the WTA circuit could expect from her in season 2024 when she ripped through the favorable Australian Open draw to make it to the title clash, where she was stopped by nemesis Aryna Sabalenka.
By the end of the season, she was an Olympic champion and winner of two WTA titles, apart from ending a runner-up in two other prestigious events, including the year-end Finals in Riyadh.
The 22-year-old Chinese sensational, who has an array of strokes to go with a wonderful temperament and fitness, has truly established herself as a force to reckon with on the challenging and ever-improving WTA circuit.
She must have worked in the off season to add some more power to her game and will truly lead the Asian challenge at the Australian Open.
She will be a serious contender and will aim to finish the incomplete business at the Melbourne Park.
Together with Zheng, Asia will also rely on powerful Elena Rybakina, who had a tremendous first half in season 2024. The tall player from Kazakhstan has the game, strokes, match-awareness, and mental toughness to do well at the big stage.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka seemed well-prepared for the season’s first Major with her terrific show at ASB Classic in Auckland, but an abdominal injury halted her charge at the title.
The extent of her injury is still unknown and if that was not enough, what has added to the drama is that she has been pitted against Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia in a repeat of 2024 Australian Open 2024 first round.
Garcia had beaten Osaka in that clash and considering the injury the Japanese has suffered, it’s difficult to say if she can avenge her early ouster.
Asia’s presence has increased in the women’s singles main draw with as many as 13 players from the region featuring in the tournament, compared to 12 in 2024.
China’s emergence as a tennis nation is not lost now on the world as out of 13 Asian players in the women’s singles draw, eight are from the Zheng’s nation.
The men’s singles will have 10 Asian players, the same as last year.
The feel-good entry is of Lebanese player Hady Habib, who became the first player from his nation to feature in the men’s singles main draw of a Grand Slam event.
Habib had also become first player from Lebanon to win an ATP Challenger title apart from competing at the Paris Olympics where he lost to eventual silver medalist Carlos Alcaraz from Spain.
Well, he has drawn an Asian for his first round outing in China’s Yunchaokete Bu, who has also made steady progress on the tour. The 22-year-old Bu had the distinction of beating world number six Andrey Rublev, Lorenzo Musseti and the highly-rated Juncheng Shang from his own nation, last year.
It will be a match, that will be followed keenly in Asia on Monday.
Much is expected from Alexander Bublik, but the Kazakh struggled badly in the second half of the last year. He has dropped 33 in the rankings and will be unseeded this year in Melbourne. He opens his campaign against Francisco Cerundolo (31st seed) from Argentina.
Asia will also look towards Japanese icon Kei Nishikori, who has yet again shown promise with his show in Hong Kong, where he played his first ATP final in six years.
He runs into Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro and is drawn to clash with world number 12 Tommy Paul in the second round.
Let’s see how far the Asians go when action begins on beautiful blue courts on Sunday.
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