Shenzhen youngster wins rights to Australian Open

At age 16, Wang Xinyu of Shenzhen became the youngest Chinese female eligible to compete in a Grand Slam main draw after edging out Abigail Tere-Apisah, 25, of Papua New Guinea in the final of the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff for the 2018 Australian Open.

The match at the Hengqin International Tennis Center on Dec 3 got off to a tenuous start. Wang lost successive points due to drop-shot errors and saw her opponent race into a 6-4 advantage in the first round. Wang, however, did not panic and fought her way back in the next set 7-5. The momentum stayed with her to secure the deciding round 6-4.

"It's probably the most important day in my life so far," Wang said in a news conference to CCTV Sports after the match. She declared that she would work to become an excellent player like Li Na and Zheng Jie. The latter gave her encouragement at the award ceremony and praised her for having a high starting point.  

Wang Xinyu returns a ball at the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff [Photo courtesy nanfangplus]

Wang's mother was a basketball player and father, Wang Peng, served as the head coach of China's national women's tennis team and later quit his job to focus on his daughter's tennis career. Instructed by him, Wang started to play tennis when she was 5.

According to Wang, her team has a technical coach from Serbia and fitness coach from Croatia. Her father, however, is whom she is most grateful toward. He will accompany her to in the Australian Open next year.

The 2018 Australian Open, one of four Grand Slam tennis events, will be held at Melbourne Park from Jan 15 to 18 with tennis aces such as Venus Williams, Kristina Mladenovic, and Sloane Stephens competing in women's singles. It is almost certain that Wang will be the youngest contestant in the lineup.