Zhou Yi and Sun Fajing's departure from the Middle East costs 40,000 per person; why has Yuan Yue's IW loss become such a lingering regret?

Last week, many people's lingering disappointment over the consecutive losses of Wu Yibing and others had just been soothed by Zhang Shuai, only to be unexpectedly triggered again this week by Yuan Yue in the Indian Wells qualifiers.

As the first Chinese golden flower to appear at the Indian Wells 1000 tournament, Yuan Yue, rising from the qualifiers, attracted much attention. Especially upon seeing her first-round opponent was Hungarian player Gálfi, many directly smiled with joy, openly stating that little Yueyue's victory was almost certain.

Last week at the Austin 250 tournament, when Yuan Yue faced Gálfi, she dominated the Hungarian player, sweeping through with a 6-3, 6-2 victory to advance stylishly into the quarterfinals of that 250 event.

Therefore, facing the same opponent again within a week, Yuan Yue was naturally viewed as the favorite.

Just as everyone was anticipating little Yueyue to deliver another sweeping victory over the same opponent within a week, no one expected that after smoothly holding her first service game in the opening set, Yuan Yue suddenly derailed like a train going off track, crashing unexpectedly. Watching Gálfi win five consecutive games to establish a 5-1 lead and secure the first set, everyone was left wondering what had happened to Yuan Yue, as her form plummeted abruptly and without warning.

It was somewhat comforting that, although the first set was already lost, Yuan Yue avoided being bageled, conceding the set 2-6, which more or less spared her some embarrassment.

In the second set, although Yuan Yue refused to let the script of an opening collapse repeat itself, she still lost in a manner that left people exclaiming in surprise.

When little Yueyue took a 4-3 lead, many thought a comeback was about to unfold, but unexpectedly Yuan Yue crumbled again, losing three consecutive games as Gálfi sealed the match 6-4, successfully avenging her Austin defeat.

Post-match summaries of this contest produced interesting remarks, labeling it as Yuan Yue's "rollercoaster journey from domination to being dominated." The intended meaning was that such drastic fluctuations in her performance within a single week were truly astonishing.

If Yuan Yue's performance against Gálfi in Austin could be described as being possessed by a war god, then her display in the first round of the Indian Wells qualifiers left people utterly speechless.

Apart from trailing Gálfi comprehensively in first-serve, second-serve, and return statistics, her break point conversion rate was also extremely low—only one out of four opportunities, a mere 25%. As for aces, she had none, while the Hungarian player fired seven.

After the match, Yuan Yue was teased by some fans and netizens as "simply blasted apart by seven aces." Moreover, exhibiting such a world of difference against the same opponent within a week gave rise to the meme "little Yueyue went from crushing others to being crushed herself."

Yuan Yue's failure to secure an opening victory in the Indian Wells qualifiers became a lingering regret for many, also due to another reason: it meant only three players—Zheng Qinwen, Wang Xinyu, and Zhang Shuai—would participate in the main draw, marking the lowest number of participants in six years since 2021.

The manner in which little Yueyue exited the Indian Wells singles stage is lamentable, and the plight of Zhou Yi and Sun Fajing, currently in the UAE, is similarly distressing.

Young Zhou and Sun painstakingly flew to Fujairah in the UAE to participate in the two-week challenger tournament held there. Upon landing, they were informed that the event was suspended due to safety concerns, followed by news of UAE airspace closure, leaving them stranded locally. During this period, Zhou Yi even humorously remarked, "After playing for so many years, I've become a war correspondent."

Finally, when the tournament was set to resume and Zhou Yi and Sun Fajing's first-round opponents were confirmed, just as they were preparing to compete, unfortunate news arrived again: the event was officially canceled.

Media soon reported that ATP, to facilitate the departure of stranded players and accompanying personnel from the UAE, arranged a charter flight "departing from Muscat, stopping in Egypt before heading to Milan," to safely evacuate everyone from the Middle East.

Just as everyone felt relieved for Zhou Yi, Sun Fajing, and others, thinking their ordeal in the UAE was finally over, a participating player revealed via personal social media that to board ATP's charter flight, each player would need to pay 5,000 euros, equivalent to over 40,000 RMB, "with an additional 5,000 euros per person for any accompanying team members."

This disclosure sparked significant backlash in public opinion because many outsiders and the players involved believe 5,000 euros poses a substantial burden for challenger-level competitors. The champion's prize money at the Fujairah challenger is 9,500 euros; now with the event canceled, many earned nothing yet must individually bear a 5,000-euro charter flight cost, naturally feeling it's somewhat hard to accept.

To quell the situation, ATP issued an email explanation two hours after the incident escalated, emphasizing that "they are not the direct organizers of the flight but are communicating with third parties to explore feasible travel options." This statement was interpreted by the public as meaning they only arrange the aircraft and provide the best departure solution, naturally not covering everyone's charter costs, hoping for understanding.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Moon River's Starry Sky)