A record 11 players to fly the flag for China at the US Open

With the draw for the US Open now decided, this year's tournament will feature 11 Chinese players, matching the number at Wimbledon and setting a new benchmark for Chinese participation in the US Open main draw. From the seasoned Zhang Shuai, born in 1989, to the young Shang Juncheng, born in 2005, players across three generations are hoping to attain Grand Slam glory in New York's Flushing Meadows.

China's golden girl Zheng Qinwen, seeded 7th, will be hoping to make her mark at the US Open and build on her historic gold-medal win at the Paris Olympics. Despite a recent setback at the Cincinnati Masters, where she exited at the round-of-16 after being defeated by Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Zheng has been in really good form on hard courts, having reached the singles final of this year's Australian Open.

During a Fan Media Day interview ahead of the US Open, she acknowledged the Cincinnati loss. "Tennis is a sport with inherent unpredictability, and it is natural to experience fluctuations in performance," Zheng said.

Noting the higher level of expectation following her Olympic triumph, she added: "I am deeply thankful for all the love and support you have given me. At the same time, I kindly ask for your continued understanding and tolerance."

Her first-round opponent is the American Amanda Anisimova, who has been on a winning streak, claiming the runner-up spot at the Rogers Cup after defeating top players like Aryna Sabalenka and Daria Kasatkina. With no prior matches between them, and Anisimova's home-court advantage will be a formidable challenge for Zheng.

Should Zheng advance, she will face either her compatriot Yuan Yue, ranked 38th, or Erika Andreeva, ranked 89th, in the second round. Both players have shown great form by reaching the quarterfinals at the Monterrey Open last week, indicating a closely matched contest.

Wang Xinyu, the Olympic mixed doubles silver medalist, and Wang Xiyu, currently ranked 56th in singles, have drawn tough openers in the form of 34-year-old Australian veteran Arina Rodionova and French youngster Diane Parry, respectively. Wang Xinyu's last encounter with Rodionova was a three-set loss at the Rothesay Open in Nottingham three years ago. Wang Xiyu, on the other hand, has narrowly won both her previous matches against Parry, with the pair last meeting on the hardcourts of New Zealand in January.

Wang Qiang and Zheng Saisai, who have made fewer appearances on the singles circuit than their compatriots, have entered the tournament with protected rankings. They will be facing last year's China Open runner-up Liudmila Samsonova, and French qualifier Jessika Ponchet, respectively.

Also entering with a protected ranking, 35-year-old Zhang Shuai will be making her 17th appearance in US Open singles play, and her 11th in the main draw. Her first opponent is 20-year-old American, Ashlyn Krueger. Facing an opponent 15 years her junior, Zhang will be looking to leverage her experience to secure a victory.

Meanwhile, in the men's singles, Zhang Zhizhen, who represented China at the Paris Olympics this summer and achieved a historic mixed doubles silver medal, has drawn the 25th seeded Briton, Jack Draper, in the first round. It will mark a highly-anticipated first meeting between Zhang and Draper, who is in good form, having reached the quarterfinals at the recent Cincinnati Masters.

Shang Juncheng has also drawn a seeded player in the first round, going up against No 27 Alexander Bublik. In their previous encounter at Indian Wells in March, Shang lost in two sets, but, since then, his ranking has steadily climbed to No 77, while Bublik is currently on a three-match losing streak.

The biggest surprise for Chinese fans, though, is Bu Yunchaokete's qualification for the main draw.

After a grueling three-set battle in the final round of the qualifying tournament, he overcame 2021 Australian Open semifinalist Aslan Karatsev to reach the main draw of a Grand Slam for the first time. He will be hoping to deliver a strong first-round performance against Norwegian 8th seed, and 2022 US Open runner-up, Casper Ruud.

CHINA DAILY