With Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray pulling out injured and the always-popular Maria Sharapova also absent, the China Open in Beijing has been crying out for a new fan favorite.
Step forward Angelique Kerber.
The 30-year-old German, a three-time Grand Slam winner, is being roared on in the Chinese capital by a small, but vocal and loyal band of local supporters.
Photo: Reuters
Moreover, Kerber yesterday needed all of their support after falling behind early against Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro, before roaring back to win their second-round match 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.
Zhang Chunyang was among a group of about 30 Chinese — the majority men and some with the German flag painted on their cheeks — willing Kerber on.
“Auf geht’s, Angie!” they bellowed, German for “come on.”
Zhang, a 35-year-old event planner from Beijing, said he became a fan after watching Kerber lose to China’s Li Na on television in 2012.
“She’s so charming and I like her tennis style very much,” said Zhang, a signed poster of Kerber draped over his legs.
“She keeps fighting and never loses confidence,” he said. “I like her spirit. She never gets down.”
Kerber, the third seed in Beijing, is among the favorites for the women’s crown after No. 1 Simona Halep retired hurt in her opener.
Serena Williams and Sharapova are not involved, while the men’s draw has none of the “Big Four” of Nadal, Murray, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
In the first round of the women’s doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the US fell in a 6-4, 3-6, 12-10 defeat to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia and Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia in 1 hour, 27 minutes.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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