Teenager Wang Xiyu became the first tennis player from the Chinese mainland to reach a girls' grand slam final when she knocked out Ukraine's Dasha Lopatetskaya in three sets at the US Open on Saturday.
The 17-year-old gained the initiative by quickly taking the first set 6-1. With the score on 2-2 in the second, rain intervened causing an interruption. After about an hour of waiting, the game was moved indoors. The change of location apparently affected Wang's play with Lopatetskaya winning 7-5 to hand the Chinese her first set loss at the tournament.
Wang Xiyu playing in the juniors group at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. /VCG Photo
Wang soon adapted herself to the indoor court and went on to overpower her opponent 6-3 in the deciding set.
Wang admitted after the game that moving to indoors made the game difficult for her. "The ball moves slower in the room, giving her more time for defense. That's why we played more games," Tencent Sports quoted her as saying
Wang Xiyu. /VCG Photo
When asked about her rival in the final, Clara Burel from France, Wang said that she did not know much about Burel. "I don't know much about her except that she played in the final of the Australian Open, but I will focus on playing my game."
Wang reached the semi-finals at this year's Wimbledon Championships and the quarter-finals at the Australian Open and French Open. That should explain why she was not surprised by her achievement in New York.
(Top picture: Chinese tennis player Wang Xiyu. /VCG Photo)