Wang Xinyu's defeat to Gao Fu has drawn criticism for her lack of fighting spirit; what hurts more than losing the match is the shattering of her hopes for a seed at the US Open.

Wang Xinyu's match against Gao Fu has concluded, and the Chinese second sister failed to pull off an upset as some had anticipated before the match. Following this, another heartbreaking reality quickly faced the beautiful Yu: her long-cherished dream of a seed at the US Open has been dashed.

Wang Xinyu's stunning performance in the first round, where she swept Arango, built high expectations for her second-round challenge against Gao Fu. Some believed that Yu might deliver another upset, similar to her previous victory over the world number two after the Berlin 500 tournament.

However, the odds set by bookmakers clearly did not favor Wang Xinyu. With odds of 4.5 to 1 for the Chinese second sister compared to 1.2 to 1 for Gao Fu, it seemed to preemptively declare that Wang's chances of an upset were zero.

Some outsiders supported the bookmakers' odds for a simple reason: this time in Cincinnati, the surface is Gao Fu's forte, and the American girl has the advantage of playing on home soil, making it difficult to defeat her. Furthermore, Gao Fu's earlier loss to Wang Xinyu at the Berlin 500 was attributed not only to her celebratory indulgence after winning the French Open but also to the fact that grass is not her strong suit, which gave the Chinese second sister an opportunity. "No rebuttals accepted."

Before the match, when discussing the high-profile battle against Gao Fu, Wang Xinyu, in contrast to some people's optimism about her, spoke cautiously: "Even though I just played her recently, hard courts and grass courts are completely different surfaces. The most important thing is to focus on my own game, play my style, and fight until the last minute."

From the performances of Wang Xinyu and Gao Fu in the first set, the American girl appeared to handle the hard court with an ease that seemed to remove any suspense about the outcome of the match.

Wang Xinyu struggled to keep up with Gao Fu's pace, unable to find a way to penetrate the American's strong offense and defense, making it impossible for her to compete. Fans and viewers in the live stream, seeing the Chinese second sister at a disadvantage in all aspects, expressed in a harsh tone, "I have no expectations for Wang anymore; I just hope she can perform normally and not get crushed by Gao."

Although Wang Xinyu appeared to have opportunities presented by Gao Fu during the first set, these chances had no real impact on the outcome, leading some to jokingly refer to it as "a form of teasing the second sister." This was directly reflected in the final result, with Gao Fu comfortably winning the first set 6-3.

In the second set, after Gao Fu intensified her offensive play, Wang Xinyu could only struggle to keep up and could do nothing else. Although the match continued, for fans and viewers, the only thing left to anticipate was how Gao Fu would celebrate her victory.

Compared to the first set where Wang Xinyu managed to break back against Gao Fu, in the second set, when the Chinese second sister fell behind, witnessing Gao Fu's increasingly unreasonable play and her own expression of despair, everyone could only feel sympathy for her and sigh heavily in the live stream.

When Gao Fu concluded the match with a 6-2 victory in the second set, someone in the live stream immediately exclaimed a line that could bring tears: "The torment is finally over."

After losing to Gao Fu in this manner, some fans and viewers criticized Wang Xinyu for playing too softly, lacking any fighting spirit throughout the match, which led to a one-sided affair. Although she wasn't completely crushed by Gao Fu, she showed no dominance at all.

In fairness to Wang Xinyu, it's not entirely her fault; it's simply beyond her capability. There has always been a gap in strength between the two players, and once Wang was completely suppressed by Gao Fu, it became very difficult for her to execute her tactics, making any strong counterattack or fighting spirit impossible. It's akin to a fight between two individuals with a clear disparity in strength; the weaker one is pinned down by the stronger one and cannot move, yet one might wonder why they do not resist; the same principle applies. It's not that she doesn't want to; the situation and strength do not permit it.

After losing this match against Gao Fu, the expectations of some in the external world fell short, and what pains Wang Xinyu even more is having to accept the shattering of her dreams for a seed at the US Open.

In her pursuit of a seed at this year's US Open, Wang Xinyu withdrew from the Washington 500 tournament and the Montreal 1000 tournament, choosing to aim for this goal from the Prague 250 tournament. Unfortunately, luck did not favor her at a critical moment, leaving her empty-handed from Prague and departing with an injury.

This appearance at the Cincinnati 1000 tournament was Wang Xinyu's last chance to secure a seed at the US Open, but unexpectedly, she drew a tough opponent in the second round against Gao Fu, making the shattering of her dreams seem inevitable.

Currently, Wang Xinyu's live world ranking is 36th, which effectively announces her unavailability for a seed at the US Open. Unless several seeded players withdraw, her chances of breaking into the seeded player ranks may only be a distant hope!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River's Starry Sky)