Zhu Lin surges back to defeat Andreeva in Ningbo thriller
On the brink of a rankings freefall, Zhu Lin taps into home-court resolve, rallying from a set down against top seed Mirra Andreeva to claim a spot in the quarterfinals and signal her resurgence.
Under Ningbo’s night lights, Zhu Lin reset her stance after dropping the first set, the humid air thick with the crowd’s growing anticipation. A year earlier, an elbow injury had forced her to the sidelines for six months, watching the Asian swing unfold without her. Her return at the Australian Open brought early promise but little consistency, her ranking slipping toward the top 500 by late July in Montreal.
Comeback glimpses emerge in Montreal
There, she stunned then-No. 15 Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round, her precise inside-out forehands and steady 1–2 combinations carrying her to the Round of 16. That upset hinted at the form that once peaked at No. 31, yet the momentum stalled through the summer, leaving psychological hurdles in its wake. Zhu arrived in Ningbo carrying those scars, the home crowd’s energy a reminder of what she stood to reclaim on these outdoor hard courts.
The day before facing Andreeva, she had already rallied from a set down to oust Emma Raducanu, her backhand slice gaining depth to disrupt patterns and build points. Against the top seed, the first set fell 4-6 as Andreeva’s crosscourt returns punished tentative serves, but Zhu absorbed the pressure, shifting to deeper groundstrokes that tested the Russian’s footwork on the quick surface.
Tactical shifts fuel second-set turnaround
As the match stretched into its 2-hour, 17-minute span nearing midnight, Zhu varied her pace with underspin approaches, forcing Andreeva into defensive positions and lobs that she converted with down-the-line winners. The second set turned 6-3 in her favor, her improved positioning on returns neutralizing the teenager’s serve-plus-one aggression. This marked her second straight comeback against a top 30 opponent, the crowd’s cheers amplifying each break as doubt yielded to determination.
In the decider, Zhu’s crisp footwork enabled bold inside-in forehands, pinning Andreeva back and sealing a 6-2 finish. Fans following the Ningbo scores, draws, and order of play sensed the electric tempo of her rallies, a mirror to her personal revival on this familiar turf.
Quarterfinal promises deeper battles
Ahead lies Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals, a matchup of baseline grinders where Zhu’s adaptive slice and rally construction could exploit the Russian’s flat hitting. The home support, once a weight during her injury layoff, now propels her forward, blending season-long struggles into a story of mental fortitude. As Ningbo hums with expectation, Zhu’s run highlights tennis’s demand for precision amid pressure, her next steps poised to accelerate a rankings climb.
