“Jang Ji Jen, cheer up!”
On the 18th, when the second day of the second round of the Australian Open was held, court No. 8, the out court at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, continued to shout “Ta-da!” to cheer for Chinese players. This is because the second round of the match was being held by Zhang Jijian (54th), who is ranked the highest among Chinese male players.
Zhang Jijian faced off against Hugo Wambert (France, 20th). It is no exaggeration to say that Chinese and French gathered at Melbourne Park on the day, and Chinese and French fans cheered for his country’s players at the peak of their voices. It was Court No. 8, which can be regarded as the outskirts of Melbourne Park, but the cheering sound of the match was so great that even Court No. 3, which was the shokot in the center, or Arena 1573, was heard.
Jang lost the match. He failed to cross the Umbert barrier 2-6 7-5 1-6 6-7 (3). As if his left ankle was not in a normal condition, Jang kept an eye on it, frowning all the time. Jang’s response to Umber’s simple stroke, which was a beat faster, was a little slow.
Chinese fans, who visited the scene with Zhang Jijian’s defeat, also turned their steps full of regret. Two days ago, Jang Ji-jian left the court expressing gratitude to the Chinese audience, just as Kwon Soon-woo did to Korean fans who were full of coats.
A total of nine Chinese players, including two men’s (Jang Ji-jian, Xiang Jun-cheng) and seven women’s (Wang Si-yu, Jeong Chin-wen, Yuan Yu, Wang Ya-pan, Zhurin, Bai Ju-huan, and Wang Xin-yu), have advanced to the finals of the Australian Open. Three Chinese players also advanced to the third round, including Xiang Jun-cheng, Jeong Chin-won, and Wang Ya-pan. Xiang Jun-cheng has a third round match against Crown Prince Carlos Alcaras (Spain, No. 2), and Chung and Wang Ya-pan will face off in the third round. Anyway, one Chinese player has made it to the fourth round in women’s singles.
The number of Chinese reporters visiting Melbourne is also significant. Among them, I met a photojournalist at Xinhua News Agency who has been in charge of tennis for more than 20 years. When asked who is the most popular player in China at the moment, he naturally replied that he was Zhang Zizhen. “In terms of world ranking, Zheng Chin-won ranks higher (15th in WTA). There is Jurin as well as Wang Xin-yu as well. However, Zhang Ziyian is the best at this point in terms of its popularity.”
However, what would it be like to compare it to legendary players? Legendary player who is considered the most successful among Chinese tennis players is retired Rina. She won two Grand Slam titles, the French Open in 2011 and the Australian Open in 2014. She reached the final three times in the Australian Open alone, winning once and being the runner-up twice. Even if she is not an Asian player, she clearly achieved impressive results at the Australian Open. 라바카지노주소
“Of course, it’s Rina. It’s a grand slammer, isn’t it? The popularity of Jiang Zhen has yet to catch up with Rina.” The Chinese reporter replied with a natural look.
In fact, there are traces of Rina all over the Australian Open. Photographs of players who had successful careers at the Australian Open are displayed on the way to the steering headquarters building of the organizing committee for the upcoming event. The first female player to be seen is Rina.
The description of the photo reads, “There are few champions who have gained as much popularity in Melbourne as Leena, who competed in two AO finals before lifting a trophy in 2014. She also set a record for the historic first win of Chinese tennis. Rina, a former RG 2011 singles champion, was ranked second in the world shortly after winning the AO 2004. (Few champions have been born as popular in Melbourne as the effervescent Li Na, who featured in two AO finals before lifting the trophy in 2014. Withinach of those milestones, there are also historical firtts for Chinese tennis. Li, who was the RG 2011 singles championship, peak at world No.2 soon after her AO 2004 story.)
Although China is producing many of the most successful players among Asian countries due to its hot supply offensive, retired Rina was still No. 1 in popularity, according to the testimony of a local veteran reporter. Unless another grand slammer is born, it is unlikely that another Chinese player who surpasses Rina’s popularity will appear.