In the blink of an eye, the 2024 Tennis Union Cup will kick off. With the grand opening of this event, whether it is the ATP or the WTA, the 2024 season is about to kick off. Many people may have a lot of reluctance about the upcoming 2023 season, however, time cannot be reversed. What is gratifying is that in this upcoming season, both Chinese men's players and Chinese Jinhua have performed well. With the arrival of the new season, these tennis players will usher in new challenges and opportunities to improve their rankings. So, in January 2024, which Chinese players will have the best chance to move up the rankings?Today, let the humble article take you to see it.
At the top of the list is Zheng Qinwen, a post-00s player, who reached the final of the tour twice at this time last year. Not only that, at the 2023 Australian Open, Zheng Qinwen also sent eggs to sweep his opponent. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time that she has reached at least the second round of the same Grand Slam for two consecutive years. Moreover, it should be noted that Zheng Qinwen at that time had defeated the former world No. 1.
2. Estonian star Kontaveit. Perhaps, it is such a victory that allows Zheng Qinwen to still be confident in himself when his record is lackluster for a long time in 2023. Objectively speaking, with her current strength, it is not difficult to break through this record. As for whether it can break into the top 10, I'm afraid it will require a certain amount of signing.
At present, the second place in Jinhua is "Chinese Sava" Wang Xinyu. In January 2023, although she was swept out of the first round of the WTA 250 Auckland tennis tournament by former Australian Open champion and American Kenning, being able to win seven games from this strong opponent also proves that Wang Xinyu has a certain strength. Sure enough, she went on to reach the quarter-finals at the WTA 250 Hobart Open, which was a huge boost to her confidence. At the 2023 Australian Open, Wang Xinyu reached the second round in two straight sets. In all fairness, it is still a mystery that Wang Xinyu can achieve corresponding results despite the fact that her world ranking has improved a lot.
Compared with Wang Xinyu and Zheng Qinwen, Zhu Lin's pressure is undoubtedly much greater. In January 2023, she reached the quarterfinals at the WTA 250 Tour Auckland, and then sang all the way to the round of 16 at the Australian Open. It is worth noting that during this time, she has defeated seven-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, Greek star Sakkari and others, giving herself a good start to the 2023 season. Now, Zhu Lin, who has come to the 2024 season, is under huge pressure to keep her points, can she turn the pressure into motivation and achieve a new leap?Perhaps time will tell.
Wang Xiyu, who is no longer a coach, has poor luck in January 2023, and she has repeatedly encountered strong opponents. Her opponents include the Czech Republic's Kapliskova, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, and the Czech Republic's Mukhova, who later finished runner-up at the French Open. However, this also makes it so that she does not have much pressure to keep points in January 2024. It is worth mentioning that whether it is physical fitness or technical level, Wang Xiyu has certain advantages. Perhaps, it won't be long before she turns her advantage into a win and gives her a great chance to move up the world rankings.
Not only Wang Xiyu, but also Yuan Yue and Bai Zhuoxuan, who just won the ITF100K championship not long ago, also have no pressure to keep points in the first month of the new season. In the same period last year, Yuan Yue has not been able to win a single victory on the tour and Grand Slam tournaments, and Bai Zhuoxuan at that time was out early in the ITF tennis tournament, so they also have the best chance to improve their rankings. And the most surprising thing is undoubtedly Wang Yafan, who has won consecutive games in both ITF and WTA for a period of time in 2023, and in January 2024, he actually has no points to guarantee. But when you think about it, she won't be back until March 2023, and maybe we'll be relieved. It's just that in this way, in January 2023, Wang Yafan's world ranking is bound to rise. However, will she be able to hit her best world ranking at this time?Let's wait and see.
Zhang Zhizhen, the first brother of Chinese men's tennis, is also hard to win in January 2023, and he is in a similar situation to Buyun Chaokert. Now the two of them have become the absolute face of Chinese men's tennis. The author personally believes that Zhang Zhizhen and Buyun Chaokert, under the condition that the pressure of maintaining points is not too great, it is inevitable that the ranking will rise. In January 2024, as long as he plays well, Zhang Zhizhen may break through the TOP50. As for whether it will succeed or not, let the old man of time give us the answer. That's it for today, and we'll talk about it tomorrow. (*Tennis Home Author: Yixin Jushi).