Swiatek Suffers Upset, Two Major Records Ended; Zhang Zhizhen Also Falls in Opening Match

The biggest upset in this year's Miami women's singles arrived unexpectedly early; nobody anticipated that Polish player Swiatek would stumble, delivering the most surprising result since the tournament began.

Before the match against compatriot Linette, almost everyone joked when predicting the outcome, believing that Swiatek's victory was unquestionable. They eagerly awaited a third-round clash with the new popular queen Iga, hoping to see if the Polish player could avenge last year's Miami quarterfinal defeat.

However, what ultimately arrived was not news of Swiatek's win, but Linette delivering the biggest upset in Miami women's singles, eliminating the tournament's second seed and causing a media sensation.

Looking back at this key match, many fans and netizens described Swiatek's loss as baffling.

From the first set, where the six-time Grand Slam champion unleashed full power and swept Linette 6-1, many boldly predicted that even if Swiatek didn't serve a "bagel" in the second set, she would still sweep Linette in two sets.

Surprisingly, whether due to winning the first set too easily reducing Swiatek's competitive drive, or Linette suddenly becoming invigorated, the Polish second seed was not completely suppressed. Instead, she fought fiercely like she had been energized, engaging in intense competition with Swiatek, resulting in a fiercely contested first eleven games where neither player dominated.

Just as everyone thought the second set would inevitably go to a tiebreak, Swiatek unexpectedly faltered first in the twelfth game, her own service game when facing elimination. After Linette successfully broke serve, she secured the second set 7-5, pushing the match into a third-set battle.

Although this outcome surprised many, they still believed Linette's chances of a comeback were slim, insisting that Swiatek would surely intensify in the deciding set and teach her compatriot a lesson, demonstrating the consequences of a provoked tiger.

To everyone's dismay, Swiatek seemed to collapse, with various outrageous errors flying everywhere, quickly allowing Linette to suppress her momentum, making her the most pressured player in the entire match at 2-4.

Although Swiatek courageously saved four match points in the deciding set, she ultimately fell on the fifth, with Linette ending the match 6-3, creating the biggest upset since Miami began.

After the Polish player was reversed by Linette, it officially meant she missed the chance to meet Iga in the third round, causing the highly anticipated "Iga-Swiatek clash" to be canceled early. Swiatek must wait until next year to seek revenge in Miami for last year's loss to Iga.

After a grueling 2-hour 10-minute battle ending in an upset elimination, Swiatek's two major records were also terminated: consecutive 73 WTA tour first-round victories and consecutive 33 WTA 1000 tournament first-round wins.

When discussing Swiatek's exit post-match, some remarked that while they thought winning Miami would be tough for the Polish player, they never expected a first-round exit, as she seemed inherently resistant to such outcomes. Yet, this harsh reality unfolded at this year's Miami event.

Others pointed out that Swiatek seemed emotionally off during training, initially thought to be a misperception. Now, after losing her first match in Miami, it suggests her mentality might truly be problematic. Hopefully, she can stage a strong comeback in the clay season and achieve self-redemption.

Another player carrying high expectations who ultimately lost was former Chinese top player Zhang Zhizhen.

As the first Chinese male player to appear in the main draw, before Zhang Zhizhen's match against Mannarino began, debates about his advancement fate were already raging in public discourse.

Some claimed Zhang would easily defeat the French veteran Mannarino, merely exhausting his stamina would wear down the 37-year-old; others stressed that Zhang's recent form was poor, having suffered three consecutive losses, making Mannarino a tough hurdle. He might follow Zhang Shuai's path and suffer a first-round exit.

Unfortunately, the negative prediction proved accurate: Zhang Zhizhen indeed lost to Mannarino, with scores of 3-6 and 2-6.

In this match, Zhang's form was indeed very poor; his performance in both sets seemed strained, collapsing suddenly later. For instance, when leading 3-2 in the first set, his level abruptly dropped sharply, losing four consecutive games to surrender the set. In the second set, after reaching 2-2, he again lost four straight games, conceding the entire match 2-6.

After Zhang's exit, Wu Yibing, yet to play, became the sole remaining Chinese male hope. Can the Chinese top player deliver a resounding victory against Diallo to dispel the gloom of Zhang's first-round exit? It's eagerly awaited.（Source: Tennis Home Author: Moon River's Sky）