The Merida final lineup makes Zhang Shuai the subject of regret, with netizens saying: Coach's mistake cost her the championship opportunity.

Seeing the Merida 500 final lineup, many were exclaiming in surprise! Simultaneously, voices of regret for Zhang Shuai came surging forward!

After Zhang Shuai's grueling three-set defeat to Polish player Frech, it was widely believed that Paolini's place in the final was almost guaranteed, and no one could take this 500 title away from the Italian.

However, after the match between Paolini and Bucșa concluded, the Italian followed in Zhang Shuai's footsteps, ultimately suffering a shocking upset and being shut out of the final, forcing this year's Merida 500 championship match to be contested between two unseeded players.

The Merida 500 championship match was dubbed an intriguing contest by outsiders, not only because both players were unseeded, but also because Frech and Bucșa had previously been opponents only at the ITF level and had never faced each other on the tour.

When predicting the eventual champion, observers considered it a fifty-fifty chance, with both having hope of lifting the trophy.

Logically, Frech, holding the 2024 Guadalajara 500 women's singles title, while Bucșa had never won a tour-level title, should have been the favorite. However, many argued that since Bucșa managed to defeat top seed Paolini in straight sets in the semifinals, she was certainly no pushover. Moreover, Frech's hard-fought win over a fatigued Zhang Shuai in the semis meant her paper advantage could essentially be disregarded.

The final result aligned with external predictions: Frech and Bucșa battled through three sets before a winner emerged, with Bucșa having the last laugh.

Looking back at Zhang Shuai's semifinal against Frech, some fans and netizens bluntly stated that the Polish player didn't so much defeat the Chinese star as benefit from luck. If not for the Chinese player's extreme fatigue affecting her movement, judging by Zhang's remarkable effort in saving four match points in the second set, whether Frech could have ultimately triumphed remains a big question mark.

At this Merida 500, Zhang Shuai and Frech had completely different paths: the Chinese player fought her way up from the qualifying rounds, playing two more matches than the Pole.

Some netizens specifically calculated: Zhang Shuai played six matches over 8 days, totaling 9 hours and 25 minutes. Even excluding the 2 hours and 37 minutes against Frech, this was an immense physical test for the Chinese veteran.

After the match, while expressing sympathy for Zhang Shuai, some noted that such a grueling schedule would be tough even for a woman in her 20s, let alone a 37-year-old.

This explains why, against Frech in the deciding set, after battling to 3-3 and completely exhausting her energy reserves, Zhang Shuai lost three consecutive games to end the match, powerless to change the outcome.

Some fans and netizens even posed an interesting hypothetical: if Frech had also started from the qualifiers, despite being nine years younger, given how fiercely Zhang competed against her in the semis, the Chinese veteran would still have had a great chance to prevail.

Therefore, when Paolini was upset by Bucșa and missed the final, mentions of Zhang Shuai resurfaced with widespread regret. If Zhang hadn't played two extra qualifying matches leading to physical collapse, she likely could have handed the Polish player a third consecutive defeat. Then, facing an opponent like Bucșa in the final, she would have had a strong chance to win the title, securing the first singles championship of the new season for Chinese tennis.

Now, seeing the Merida final lineup and champion Bucșa, many believe Zhang Shuai missed a golden, heaven-sent opportunity to win, and her coach should bear primary responsibility. If not for his operational error, this current regret would not exist.

"Because my coach withdrew my main draw entry, I had to start from the qualifiers; otherwise, I should have entered the main draw directly," Zhang Shuai revealed publicly. She originally shouldn't have had to grind through the qualifiers and had hopes for a main draw spot, but a slip-up by her coach forced her to start from the bottom.

Although Zhang's words carried no blame toward her coach, and she even stated that starting from qualifiers helped her quickly find match rhythm, leading to her playing better each round in Merida, some other fans and netizens believe precisely those two extra qualifying matches "likely caused her stamina to hit a wall in the semifinals, leaving immense regret and a lost championship opportunity."

In contrast to the public's lingering disappointment over Zhang Shuai's missed chance to compete for the title, the player herself appears quite composed. Whether after the loss or during the post-match press conference, she kept a smile on her face. It seems she believes in fully showcasing her ability; if some things are meant to be, accept them calmly. Dwelling in self-pity only adds unnecessary distress!(Source: Tennis Home Author: Moon River's Starry Sky)