Zhu bounces back with a bang to claim shock win

It looked like one of those pinchme upsets, given the huge ranking gap separating either side of the net, but it was not entirely a surprise for China's resurgent ace Zhu Lin, as shocking as it seemed on paper.

The world 493rd-ranked Zhu has thrown down the gauntlet to her international rivals by defying long odds to post a dramatic comeback win against world No 15 Ekaterina Alexandrova in Montreal to reach the third round at the WTA 1000 tournament, making her presence felt on the women's pro circuit following her return from a long injury layoff.

Apparently not at her best yet, Zhu, who had to end her 2024 season prematurely after Wimbledon due to a nagging elbow injury, showed a glimpse of her prime on Tuesday after she overcame a slow start to pull off a 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over the 12th seed in an hour and 55 minutes in the scorching Canadian summer heat.

It marked career-first back-to-back wins at the WTA 1000 level for Zhu, and the first at any tournament this season, as well as her first upset of a top-20 opponent since Zhuhai, Guangdong province, in 2023.

More than 12 months since advancing into the round of 32 at Wimbledon last year, Zhu's finally proved her doubters wrong, and partially demonstrated the quality of her game, which once belonged to the women's top echelon.

"I am so happy for today's win and so satisfied with my performance. Hope to see you all in the next round," said Zhu, who beat French world No 107 Varvara Gracheva in straight sets in the opening round on Sunday.

Zhu, who's expected to climb to around world No 360 on the back of Tuesday's win, will next play against 64th-ranked Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands on Friday morning (Beijing time).

Resilient comeback

A young prospect touted for her potential and versatile skillset as the next major contender for Chinese tennis, Zhu introduced herself to fans by featuring at the Rising Stars Invitational at the then WTA Finals in Singapore in 2015.

The high-intensity and faster-pace game at the Tour level, however, proved too big a step up for Zhu at first, as she struggled to adapt and spent several tough years toiling away at lower-level events without posting consistent enough results to reach the higher ranks.

After finally proving she belonged with her career-first singles WTA title in Thailand in early 2023, over the following 12 months, Zhu's game matured and flourished, highlighted by reaching another final in Osaka, Japan, in September and three more semifinals at Monterrey, Mexico, Birmingham, Britain, and Cleveland, Ohio.

Following a return to the Thailand Open final in February, and a deep run at Wimbledon last year, Zhu's momentum was abruptly halted by a right elbow injury that forced her off the court until last month, when she made her first main-draw appearance at the WTA Tour level in almost a year at the Nottingham Open in Britain.

Stressed out by some critics questioning her lack of consistency, the 31-year-old native of Jiangsu province had even wondered herself whether tennis was the right path, after witnessing former teen rivals, such as Naomi Osaka and Ons Jabeur, all shining on the Grand Slam stage.

Now, having picked up her game and confidence, Zhu, who's been conditioned by numerous setbacks to always stay tough and positive, has learned to keep her expectations in check while working on the details.

"I have lowered expectations of myself, hoping to just complete this season as healthy as possible," Zhu said after her first-round win in Montreal.

"I am still not fully recovered with my elbow, so I have to take it one match at a time and stick to my own plan and routines to at least stay healthy.

"Then, I will try to play as well as I can on top of that, hopefully being able to compete at the US Open and in the following China swing," said Zhu, who gave herself the handle "Miss_tough" on Weibo.

Zheng returns to training

Some other good news for Chinese fans was proof that the recovery of world No 6 and reigning Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen is going to plan, following arthroscopic surgery on her right elbow on July 18.

Gabriel Echevarria, Zheng's new fitness coach, posted a photo on Instagram on Monday, showing a tired Zheng prone on the grass after what seemed to have been an endurance session, stating in the caption: "Never fails, never lies, always delivers, track".

It was posted just 10 days after Zheng's surgery, which it is hoped will cure a persistent pain in the 22-year-old's right elbow that has taken a heavy toll on her performance this season.

Zheng's last on-court appearance was her shocking first-round exit from Wimbledon after a 2-1 loss to Katerina Siniakova on June 30.She's certainly going to miss out the US Open, but is expected to be back fit and firing in time for the hard-court season's China swing.