The first round of the new season of the Hobart 250 Women's Singles was in full swing in Hobart, Australia, with China's Golden Flower Yuan Yue and American star Stephens in a fierce showdown. After nearly 3 hours of fierce battle, Yuan Yue counterattacked his opponent in the deciding set and narrowly won 7-5 to advance to the next round. The victory not only earned Yuan Yue 48 points and $4,040 in prize money, but also moved her to No. 68 in her instant rankings, setting a new personal high.
This match is significant for both Yuan Yue and Stephens, as it is their first race of the new season and their first meeting at the Hobart 250. Yuan Yue is currently ranked 73rd in the world, while Stephens leads the way with a world ranking of 43rd, having previously been ranked No. 3.
From the beginning of the match, Yuan Yue showed a strong desire to attack, and she quickly took a 4-1 lead in the first set with her excellent serve and stable baseline attack. Undeterred, Stephens adjusted her form for the rest of the game and gradually found her rhythm in attack. After a fierce battle, Stephens managed to pull back a game and chase the score of the first set to a 4-4 draw. In the end, Yuan Yue won the first set with a difficult 7-5 victory.
At the start of the second set, Stephens continued her good form at the end of the first set, with sharper offense and more consistent defensiveness. Yuan Yue's form fluctuated, her attack was no longer as sharp as in the first set, and there were some mistakes in defense. Stephens managed to break serve and make it 4-1. She then defused a break point on her own serve to take a 5-1 lead into her own service game. In this game, Stephens did not leave Yuan Yue a chance, and she managed to hold serve and win the second set 6-2.
As the match entered the deciding set, the pressure Yuan Yue faced can be imagined. The Chinese golden flower was not deterred by this, and she kept her fighting spirits high in the opening set of the decider. In the first four games, Yuan Yue successfully held serve and drew 2 with Stephens. As the match progressed, Yuan Yue's form gradually picked up, and her offense and defense improved significantly. Thanks to her efforts, she managed to break serve in the fourth game and take a 4-1 lead.
Recently. In the crucial sixth game, Stephens successfully held serve and chased the score to 4-2. At this point, the atmosphere on the field became tense. In the seventh game, Stephens broke again to tie the score at 5-2. Seeing that victory was on the horizon, Stephens' confidence doubled. At this moment, Yuan Yue burst out with amazing energy.
Yuan Yue scored three points in a row after falling behind 4-5 and successfully reversed the situation of the game. In the end, she narrowly defeated her opponent 7-5 and advanced to the next round. The victory was significant for Yuan, as it not only boosted her world rankings, but also built up valuable confidence for her upcoming matches.
The whole game lasted nearly 3 hours, and Yuan Yue issued a total of 4 aces, but also 2 double faults. She scored 62 per cent of her first serve and broke 7 of 18. With this victory, Yuan Yue received 48 points and $4,040 in prize money. As a result, her instant ranking rose to 68th, the highest ranking of her career. This match fully demonstrated Yuan Yue's tenacious and hard-working spirit, and also injected strong motivation into her journey in the new season. In the future, we look forward to Yuan Yue being able to continue to maintain this form and strive for more honors for Chinese tennis!