After reaching the quarter-finals four times, Lu Jiajing has recently faced some tough luck.

It is well-known that to win a championship in the tour, challenger, or hope tournaments, one must secure five consecutive victories. Generally speaking, consistently making it to the top eight lays a solid foundation for winning the title. As long as one can maintain their form, there is hope for victory. However, during this period, there has been a player who, despite reaching the top eight four times in a row, has not been able to advance further. So, what is going on? Let this article take you to explore it.

This player is Lu Jiajing! Once upon a time, she fought several times in Grand Slam qualifiers, but for various reasons, she was unable to break through in those tournaments. Now, born in the late 90s, she can already be considered a veteran. To be fair, competing on the tennis court at such an age is commendable in itself. At the end of June, during the Hong Kong Hope Tournament, Lu Jiajing defeated compatriot Zhang Yunhan, Russian player A Grechkina, Hong Kong player Shi Zhuoying, Japanese player Matsuda Suzu, and Thai player Angchisa, winning the Hope Tournament championship after a six-year hiatus.

After winning the Hope Tournament championship, she headed to Tunisia in North Africa to continue competing in the Hope Tournament. In the first round of the MONASTIR Hope Tournament, Lu Jiajing convincingly defeated compatriot Zhu Chenting, who had just won her first career Hope Tournament title a few days earlier, advancing smoothly. In the second round, facing local Tunisian player M Bouzgarrou, Lu Jiajing delivered a bagel, easily advancing. Unfortunately, in the quarter-finals against Russian player Khasanova, despite giving it her all, she still lost to her opponent and could not progress further.

In mid-July, during the first round of the second MONASTIR Hope Tournament, Lu Jiajing convincingly defeated Polish player Stankiewicz, advancing smoothly; in the second round, she allowed Austrian player A Koller to win only five games, marking her second entry into the top eight. In the quarter-finals, facing Japanese player Nishigou Rina, she initially took the lead, winning the first set and seeing hope for advancement. However, in the subsequent matches, Nishigou Rina launched a comeback, winning two sets in a row and turning the tables on Lu Jiajing. Thus, Lu Jiajing had to accept her second consecutive exit at the top eight stage.

In late July, during the first round of the Monastir Hope Tournament, Lu Jiajing convincingly defeated Romanian player M Popovici, advancing smoothly; in the second round, she swept Indonesian player V Chaudhari, marking her third entry into the top eight after winning the championship. Unfortunately, in the quarter-finals against Finnish player L Hietaranta, Lu Jiajing lost the first set badly. In the second set, her performance improved, but she still lost to her opponent. Unbeknownst to her, Lu Jiajing had now been stopped at the top eight stage for three consecutive times in the Hope Tournament.

At the end of July, Lu Jiajing arrived in Thailand to compete in the Hope Tournament. In the first round, she convincingly defeated Australian player S Rokusek, advancing smoothly; in the second round, facing the challenge from Japanese player Mushiho Kokoro, Lu Jiajing allowed her opponent to win only two games in the first set, and in the second set, with a lead, Mushiho Kokoro had to retire due to health issues.

In the quarter-finals, facing another Japanese player Kitahara Yuno, Lu Jiajing again won the first set. However, with the advantage of having taken the lead, she was once again reversed by her opponent, who won two sets in a row. Thus, after winning the championship, Lu Jiajing found herself trapped in a strange cycle of not being able to advance further after reaching the top eight. Today's tennis story ends here, and will continue tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Yixin Jushi)