Time flies, and this week's ATP Tour and WTA Tour are coming to an end. On February 3, at the WTA 250 Hua Hin Open semi-finals, three Chinese golden flowers appeared on the stage. So, who are these three Chinese golden flowers, and how are they performing? Today, let the humble article take you to see it.
At present, the post-00 Jinhua has become the backbone of Chinese women's tennis. However, few people know that the first post-00 golden flower to appear in a Grand Slam is Wang Xinyu. Not only that, but she is also the only player among the post-00s Jinhua who can make achievements in both singles and doubles. However, when Zheng Qinwen has won two tour championships and Wang Xiyu has also won tour championships, Wang Xinyu has not been able to reach the tour finals, which has to be said to be a pity.
This week, the tournament's third-seeded Wang Xinyu reached the semifinals at the WTA 250 Hua Hin Open, where she faced Russia's Schneider in the semi-finals. Notably, Schneider defeated Poland's Linette in the first round of the WTA 250 Hua Hin Open. In the second round, she won the first set before Spain's Badosa, who had been ranked second in the world, withdrew. In the quarterfinals, Schneider only allowed his opponent to win three games. All this shows that Schneider is quite powerful.
Sure enough, in the first set, Schneider scored one after another and took the initiative on the court. After that, although Wang Xinyu saved two break points, she still couldn't get out of the passive situation. Schneider didn't give her a chance and won the first set neatly.
After the start of the second set, Wang Xinyu's form improved, and she stepped up her aggression in returning. However, Schneider kept his finger on the score and eventually had to go into a tie-break. In the tie-break, Wang Xinyu once led by a large score. Unfortunately, she was not able to maintain the lead, but was equalized by Schneider and then overtook it. In the end, Schneider won the game.
It should be noted that Wang Xinyu has reached the semi-finals of the tour four times. However, she has yet to win a set in the semifinals. Will Wang Xinyu be able to reach the final of the Tour and win the Tour this year? Perhaps, anything is possible.
The other game is the Golden Flower Derby. This is also the first time since the 2024 season that the WTA Tour semi-finals have seen the Golden Flower Derby, against Zhu Lin and Wang Yafan. At the beginning of the first set, Zhu Lin won four games in a row and took a big lead. At this time, Wang Yafan woke up like a dream and won a game. After that, Wang Yafan chased two games in a row, gradually closing the score gap. However, at this time, Zhu Lin broke Wang Yafan's serve and won the first set of the match, occupying the opportunity to advance.
After the start of the second set, Wang Yafan got two consecutive break points, however, Zhu Lin chased the points in a row and took the lead in the score. In the ensuing game, the two sides competed fiercely. In the confrontation, Zhu Lin broke Wang Yafan's serve again and took the lead in the score. After taking the lead in the score, whether it was in the winning points or serving, Zhu Lin was the one who did better. In the end, she defeated her opponent and reached the first tour final of the 2024 season.
After reaching the final, Zhu Lin has risen to the top 57 in the instant world rankings, and her opponent in the final is Russia's Schneider. Last year, in the first round of the WTA 250 Nanchang Tour, Schneider swept Zhu Lin with eggs. So, can Zhu Lin take revenge this time? Let's wait and see. (*Tennis Home Author: Yixin Jushi).