Jin Hua shines! Guo Hanyu delivers a double bagel, creating a shocking incident in Montreal, while Wang Yafan follows suit with a surprising performance.

Following the disappointing withdrawals of Chinese players in Montreal, fans and netizens are thrilled to see the Chinese stars perform well in the qualifying rounds of this 1000 tournament.

This year, the Montreal 1000 event has consistently been viewed as a downturn for the Chinese tennis team, with a series of unfortunate news!

Initially, it was thought that Zheng Qinwen's withdrawal due to surgery was an isolated incident, but it unexpectedly opened the floodgates for other Chinese players to withdraw, creating an overwhelming sense of inevitability.

Not long after Wang Xinyu withdrew from Montreal, news of Zhang Shuai's withdrawal emerged again.

Unlike Wang Xinyu's withdrawal, which may have been related to injury, Zhang Shuai's situation is particularly frustrating. It wasn't her choice to withdraw; rather, the scheduling conflict between the qualifying rounds and the Washington doubles final forced her to make this reluctant decision to exit Montreal.

Yuan Yue's withdrawal also came as a surprise.

At that time, seeing Yuan Yue perform exceptionally well at the ITF Evansville W100 event and having a thrilling match against her close friend Wang Xiyu in the quarterfinals, many believed that even if she lost, she would still make a striking appearance in Montreal.

Unexpectedly, the intense match against Wang Xiyu led to Yuan Yue sustaining an injury, ultimately resulting in her withdrawal from the qualifying competition. Her spot was taken by Krunic, meaning yet another Chinese player would not participate in the Montreal singles event.

The wave of withdrawals among Chinese players has raised concerns: will the collapse of the Chinese team begin as early as the qualifying rounds?

Wang Yafan, just returning from injury, and Guo Hanyu, who replaced Townsend, has always struggled in singles on the tour. Is it too much to hope for them to lead the charge for the Chinese team in the Montreal qualifiers? Some even directly questioned whether they can be trusted.

Those who believe in Guo Hanyu and Wang Yafan offer a simple reason: this year, the Montreal 1000 qualifying tournament consists of only one round, and winning means advancing to the main draw. Therefore, it’s worth it for them to give it their all, while also reminding others to "have faith in them and not to undermine our own before they even step on the court."

It has been proven that the fans and netizens truly deserve the title of Sherlock Holmes, and some individuals have particularly accurate predictive abilities.

After the draw for the Montreal qualifiers was announced, Guo Hanyu was the first to be favored, seen as having drawn a favorable match-up.

Seeing Guo Hanyu face off against the Romanian veteran Buzarnescu, ranked 1314 in the world, many believed that as long as she didn’t falter, the score could go either way, but the odds of winning were very high. "The only question is whether Guo can seize this opportunity."

In her match against Buzarnescu, Guo Hanyu indeed did not disappoint. Not only did she avoid self-sabotage, but she also showcased the spirit of the 2023 Chengdu Universiade champion, dominating the Romanian veteran from the start of the first set and delivering a double bagel, creating a sensational upset in Montreal and advancing strongly to the main draw.

After the match, many regarded this exhilarating victory as Guo Hanyu's best performance on the tour. This season, she had made strategic adjustments, aiming to improve her singles ranking and qualify for the Grand Slam, but had yet to deliver satisfactory tennis. Now, after such a stunning performance in Montreal, it’s no surprise that her confidence has skyrocketed.

Although Wang Yafan has been away from the court for so long, her return in the Montreal qualifiers against the 9th seed Masarova poses a significant challenge.

Fortunately, the communication between the Chinese good wife and tennis has not become unfamiliar due to her time away for recovery. Facing Masarova's strength, she ultimately pulled off a major upset in a three-set battle, advancing to the main draw alongside Guo Hanyu.

However, in their main draw debuts, both Guo Hanyu and Wang Yafan will face new challenges.

Guo Hanyu will compete against world No. 43 Putintseva, and if she wins, she will face Swiatek, with many already speculating on her fate in Montreal.

Wang Yafan's opponent, Starodubtseva, is ranked 74th in the world, but based on her performance in the qualifiers, many still believe her current level is within the TOP 100. There is a strong belief that the Chinese good wife will advance smoothly. However, whether Wang Yafan can continue her progress in the second round against Fletcher will depend on her own efforts!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: The Starry Sky of Moon River)