On April 13, due to heavy rain, the final round of the 2024 Billie Jane King Cup International Women's Tennis Team Tournament Asia Region Group I was transferred to the Changsha Clay Tennis Park Indoor Pavilion to continue. The Chinese team defeated the South Korean team to win the first place in the group and advanced to the world group play-offs. At present, Zheng Qinwen has flown to Germany and is about to start the new season of clay journey.
After beating Pacific Oceania United 3-0 in the fourth round, the Chinese team has jumped to the top of the group and ensured early promotion. The South Korean women's team, which had been winning all the games before, unexpectedly lost 1-2 to the Indian team. In the fifth round, the South Korean team met the Chinese team. In the first women's singles, the Chinese team sent Zhu Lin to face South Korea's Kim Dabin. The weather in the first set changed abruptly, and the match was forced to move to an indoor clay hall. Although Zhu Lin was broken by her opponent, she still won the first set 6-2. In the second set, after Zhu Lin was broken by her opponent in the first service game, she then found the bottom line and successfully broke back. Zhu Lin then broke serve again and won the next set 6-3 to win the first women's singles victory. In the second women's singles match, Wang Xiyu faced South Korea's Park Zhaoxuan. After winning 6-4 in the first set, Wang Xiyu was injured and forced to retire at 2-3 in the second set. In the Women's Doubles, Wang Xinyu and Guo Hanyu faced Park So-hyun and Kim Da-bin. The new duo of Wang Xinyu and Guo Hanyu had a tacit understanding, and they swept their opponents 6-0 to seal the victory for China.
This is the first time that the Chinese team has chosen the Billie Jane King Cup home court on the clay court, and from the process to the result, everyone is very happy with the Chinese women's tennis national team. The five women's tennis girls have won consecutive victories on clay, and they have also accumulated confidence in the preparation of the WTA clay season. The young players have shown a strong sense of pride and mission, and they see it as their responsibility to represent their country.
Zhu Lin introduced that representing the national team gave her special motivation. "Participating in competitions such as the Billie Jane King Cup, or the Asian Games and the Olympics is very different from playing on the tour, and it requires a lot of psychological and other aspects of the players. I feel like I have a heavier responsibility. You don't have to win the game, I think it's important to bring out the style of the new generation of Chinese tennis players. Zhu Lin said.
The professional services provided by the national team are also recognized by the players. Zheng Qinwen returned to China to participate in the war, and all the team travel, accommodation, and training of coach Pereriba and physical trainers were guaranteed by the national team, which solved his worries. "I think it's good to work with my teammates and teams. There are no hard and fast rules for the national team, you can control the time, do the treatment, and be ready for the game, so that you can give full play to your strength. Zheng Qinwen said.
Changsha's event hardware also satisfied the national team. There are a total of 12 standard clay tennis courts, including 6 canopy indoor clay tennis courts and 6 outdoor open-air clay tennis courts, which meet the hardware standards of the French Open. Among them, the final match was held in the indoor clay hall. Chairman Li Hongwu said: "After receiving the task, we transferred 50 tons of red clay from France, and the staff rearranged the venues one by one, and it took more than a week to meet the standards of the event. ”
Wang Xinyu, who won the women's doubles title at the French Open last year, spoke highly of the venue after the match, "The feeling of playing on the clay court here is quite similar to the court of the French Open. I've heard that the pitch here is built after the French Open court and is of good quality. Zhu Lin also said that the match helped her find the feeling of playing on clay. "The clay pitch here is similar to that in Europe, so it's a good warm-up, and I can use my training stuff to help me have a good transition in the clay season. ”
With the blessing of the software and hardware conditions of the home stadium in their hometown, the Chinese team won five consecutive victories in five rounds, and the first place in the group advanced to the Billie Jean King Cup World Group play-offs. In addition, the players have also warmed up for the clay season and the Paris Olympics through training and competition.
For the performance of the players, Lu Liang, director of the Tennis Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sports of China, expressed satisfaction. "This is the year of the Olympics, and the goal of the Chinese Tennis Association is definitely to help players achieve good results in the Olympic Games. The Billie Jean King Cup is played once a year, and our ultimate goal is to be able to work hard and get good results in the end. ”
The Billie Jean King Cup also showcases the hard side of professional tennis players. After helping the Chinese team advance ahead of schedule, Zheng Qinwen interacted with the young fans at Hunan No. 1 Normal until 5 p.m., and then took a plane to Stuttgart, Germany to prepare for the WTA 500 tournament on the evening of the 12th. Zheng Qinwen will be the fifth seed in Stuttgart. After the end of the 13th, the other players of the Chinese team will also embark on their own journeys to start the clay tour.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Chu Peng
Editor/Wang Fan