The joint early exit of two Wimbledon champions has sparked widespread discussion, unexpectedly affecting Swiatek, with Zheng Qinwen stating that Noskova is a tough opponent.

Swiatek never expected that while firmly holding the top spot as a favorite to win the China Open, mischievous netizens would mock her, suddenly reminding her to be cautious of an upset, or she could become the third Wimbledon champion to be eliminated.

This unexpectedly dragged the Polish girl into a baffling topic connected to former Wimbledon champions Leylah Fernandez and Katerina Krejcikova!

Leylah Fernandez faced the world No. 66 German player Rehberg in the third round and was widely favored before the match. Many believed the Kazakh beauty was very likely to win comfortably in straight sets.

It’s unclear if Rehberg felt frustrated by being underestimated, but from the first set, she opposed those supporting Fernandez, playing with an unusually fierce energy as if fueled by adrenaline.

Although Fernandez found it quite challenging to cope with this sudden pressure, many fans and viewers in the livestream were unfazed, pointing out that Fernandez’s coach Vukov had declared her goal to become world No. 1 next year, confident she was prepared for all difficulties and had solutions ready. If she couldn’t handle this minor trouble caused by Rehberg, would her world No. 1 ambition just be empty talk?

Therefore, even though Fernandez lost the first set 3-6, many still believed the Kazakh beauty could make a comeback.

Especially after Fernandez dominated the second set 6-1 to even the score, her supporters in the livestream went wild, emphasizing that crushing Rehberg with such force had severely damaged her morale, and as long as she kept playing like that, the decider would likely end with a similar commanding score in her favor.

However, when the final set concluded, Fernandez’s supporters were stunned as Rehberg defeated her 6-4.

After losing, the Kazakh beauty became the first former top-eight seed to be eliminated at this China Open.

Fernandez’s defeat not only disappointed her fans but also brought grim news: her chances of qualifying for the year-end finals look bleak.

Currently, Fernandez ranks eighth on the race leaderboard with 3806 points, while Barty is ninth with 3591 points. With the former Wimbledon champion exiting early and the Italian player still in the draw, Barty’s upcoming match against American Kenin is seen as a strong opportunity to advance, which would narrow the points gap with Fernandez.

Some fans calculated that if Barty reaches the semifinals at the China Open, she could overtake Fernandez for eighth place. If not, their competition for the year-end finals spot will intensify in upcoming tournaments, increasing pressure on Fernandez.

Given Fernandez’s current unstable form, if Barty performs just slightly better, it’s highly likely the Italian player will sneak into the finals, and Fernandez may ultimately miss this year’s Riyadh trip.

After Fernandez’s exit to Rehberg, another interesting development was that another Wimbledon champion also bowed out.

Krejcikova faced American Kessler in the third round; after splitting the first two sets, the Czech player retired due to injury in the deciding set.

Many felt deep regret for Krejcikova because after dominating the first set 6-1, she once led 4-2 in the second. Had she closed out the match then instead of letting Kessler push it to a decider, she might have avoided the injury retirement.

Seeing two Wimbledon champions eliminated back-to-back, some fans and netizens joked that the China Open doesn’t seem very friendly to Wimbledon champions this year. How else could Fernandez and Krejcikova both exit on the same day? What a coincidence.

This led to the small episode where Swiatek was unfairly dragged into the controversy.

Some humorously remarked that since the Polish girl also holds a Wimbledon title now, she really needs to be extra careful, or the biggest upset might just be Swiatek herself.

Swiatek’s supporters, hearing this, worried for their idol and protested, “Swiatek is doing just fine, who did she offend? Good things don’t come her way, yet people deliberately link her to upsets. It’s really frustrating!”

If Swiatek unexpectedly became a topic due to Fernandez and Krejcikova’s exits, China’s top player Zheng Qinwen is even more concerning.

After returning with a straight-sets win over Arango to reach the third round, Zheng faces Czech talent Noskova. Not only is the outside world seeing Noskova as a major test for Zheng, but Zheng herself also admits this match will be tough.

“Noskova is definitely a challenging opponent. I want to see how well my body recovers and hope to perform better in the next match,” Zheng said. It’s clear she views Noskova as a very dangerous rival. She also emphasized that she will discuss tactics carefully with her team to prepare for this tough battle.

With Swiatek being mocked unfairly and Zheng feeling nervous before her match, many believe these are the two main highlights to watch at the China Open.

In the end, Swiatek proved with her performance that the joint early exits of Fernandez and Krejcikova were just unfortunate surprises. Will this mean the China Open is really harsh on Wimbledon champions this year? We’ll wait and see.

Of course, whether Zheng’s team-based tactical approach will prove effective against Noskova is another question everyone is eager to find the answer to!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlight River Starry Sky)