Yuan Yue: The good news from the six o'clock training, celebrating the match with wine today; Zheng Qinwen was spotted at a concert.

At the Cincinnati Tennis Tournament, after losing in the qualifiers, Yuan Yue entered the main draw as a "lucky loser," easily defeating Buksha in the first round and facing her "rival," the tournament's 14th seed Schneider, in the second round. Despite the significant difference in world rankings, Yuan Yue maintained her perfect record against Schneider, advancing in three sets and achieving her second consecutive victory in a WTA 1000 event.

After the match, Yuan Yue shared her turbulent experience in Cincinnati this year in front of the cameras. She revealed that the day after her qualifier exit, she woke up at 6 AM to secure a training court, and after practicing for two hours, she received a notification from the chief referee saying, "You can play today." She expressed, "That moment was incredibly joyful; I just wanted to correct all the details I didn't handle well in the qualifiers!"

However, due to an uncertain schedule, she could only take a few hours of deep sleep on the sofa in the players' lounge to recharge. Regarding this, Yuan Yue jokingly said, "It's really comfortable to sleep here." "After receiving the news, I went to the players' lounge and slept for a long time on the sofa. Since I was the fifth match, it was hard to determine the progress of the earlier matches, so I didn't go back to the hotel. Plus, the players' lounge is super comfortable; I slept for several hours!" Yuan Yue stated.

Since last year's Miami, Yuan Yue's performance has been fluctuating, and victories in 1000 events have been hard to come by. After going from elimination to a substitute, she expressed that she cherishes this hard-earned opportunity, which fueled her determination on the court. Winning the first round made her particularly happy.

"It's been a long time since I've won in a 1000 event. I was thinking how great it would be to have an extra day to really enjoy this feeling of victory!" When asked about her tactics for the next round against Kostyuk, she humorously replied, "Right now, I'm just enjoying today; I'll think about tomorrow's match when it comes!"

After this round, Yuan Yue maintained her perfect record of four wins against Schneider, making her a true "nemesis" for the latter. In response, netizens joked that the two are "one overcoming the other." She will aim for her best performance in a 1000 event in the third round; if she wins, she can further improve her world ranking, which is currently around 80th place.

Now, let's turn to another tennis news. Zheng Qinwen, who missed the entire North American hard court season due to elbow surgery, was spotted by fans at the ESTADI OLÍMPIC in Barcelona during her break, where she attended a BLACKPINK concert.

On August 9, the popular South Korean girl group held their first European tour after renewing their contract, and Zheng Qinwen's figure was captured by sharp-eyed fans in the sea of 50,000 people dressed in pink.

However, there were already hints that Zheng Qinwen would attend the BLACKPINK concert. Two years ago, she admitted in an interview, "Although I don't have time to watch concerts, I'm very curious about Blackpink. They're so famous; I really want to see them live!" This time, she fulfilled her dream during her recovery period, which netizens commented as "achieving a small goal." According to fans at the scene, "The entire venue was filled with sing-alongs and light sticks shimmering like stars, creating an atmosphere comparable to a large party."

However, this move by the Chinese tennis star sparked polarized opinions online. Some fans criticized Zheng Qinwen for lacking "career ambition," believing that she should focus on resuming training and not invest too much energy in outside activities, as her ranking could plummet if she continues to miss the Asian season.

On the other hand, some fans argued that Zheng Qinwen's "cross-industry fandom" breaks the traditional stereotype of athletes and reflects the need for mental relaxation and rest under long-term high-pressure conditions, and she should not be overly criticized. As she mentioned in an interview, "Athletes also need to step out of the training loop and recharge with things they love."

Currently, Zheng Qinwen is actively engaged in simple recovery training and has not yet started more strength and hitting practice, which means she may have to wait until at least the end of September this year to return to the court. So, can she transform the energy she gained from the concert into new breakthroughs? That remains to be seen.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Lu Xiaotian)