Zhulin Reveals Her Match Notebook: Husband’s Encouragement and Opponent Data Are the Keys to Victory

Following her win over Momoka Nishina on Thursday at the China Open, Zhulin opened up about the notebook she brings to each match.

On Thursday, Zhulin faced Momoka Nishina in the opening round of the China Open, often consulting a notebook throughout the match.

In fact, Zhulin reviews this notebook before every match. But what exactly is recorded inside?

The 31-year-old told reporters after her impressive 6-1, 6-3 victory:

“It contains some casual notes written by my husband, including statistics about my opponents, encouraging words from him, and advice on how to adjust my mindset — basically, all motivational content.”

“Whenever I feel my mind isn’t clear during a match, I look at these reminders in the notebook to help me refocus. Yes, all of these notes are written by my husband.”

This marked Zhulin’s first main-draw win in Beijing since her debut at the China Open in 2014, when she advanced due to Pavlyuchenkova’s withdrawal.

Regarding Thursday’s match, Zhulin said:

“I got into the rhythm quickly and found my pace early, so the first set went smoothly and fast. But I knew the match wouldn’t stay that way. She played very well from the second set onward, and we had many long rallies. I had to stay focused on my service games and make careful decisions on every point. I’m very satisfied with this result.”

Zhulin mentioned that she trains at the same club as Momoka Nishina and they often practice together,

Currently ranked in the 200s, Zhulin entered this WTA 1000 event with a wildcard, hoping to achieve another strong performance. Two months ago, she impressed at the Montreal Open.

Due to an elbow injury, Zhulin missed five months of competition at the end of 2024 and was sidelined again for three months early in 2025. As a result, her ranking dropped to 493 before the Montreal Open. Despite this, she won three matches at that tournament, including a victory over 12th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, reaching the fourth round. This was her second time reaching the round of 16 at a WTA 1000 or higher-level event, the first being the 2023 Australian Open.

Zhulin’s next opponent is Russian rising star Mira Andreeva, ranked fifth in the world, who had a bye in the first round.

Looking forward to Zhulin’s continued strong performances.

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