With a wave of nine consecutive wins, Bai Yan returned to the Grand Slam qualifiers

As we all know, tennis tournaments are divided into four levels: Grand Slam, Tour, Challenger, and Hope Tournament from high to low. Since the Grand Slam is the highest level of tennis, it is not easy even to qualify for the Grand Slam. Yesterday, however, there was such a veteran who secured a place in the Grand Slam qualifiers after defeating his old rivals. So, who exactly is this veteran? How has he been doing lately? Today, let the humble article take you to see it.

The veteran is Bai Yan, who won his first career Masters victory back in 2010. And that was also the first time that a Chinese men's tennis player defeated the TOP30. It's a pity that Bai Yan has never been able to reach the final of the Challenger Tournament, nor has he ever been able to break into the main draw of the Grand Slam. This may be a pity for Bai Yan.

Last season, Bai Yan won five Hope Tournament championships, and also reached the semifinals of the Challenge Tournament, becoming the fourth brother of Chinese men's tennis. In the 2025 season, despite suffering a wave of three consecutive defeats, Bai Yan did not lose heart. Although he is nearly forty years old, he is still persevering and struggling. Before April, Bai Yan reached the finals of the Hope Tournament twice and won a championship.

Last week, Bai Yan defeated Taiwan's Li Guanyi, Switzerland's L Castelnuovo, Belarus's M Haliak, and the United States' J Brumm to reach the final of the Hope Tournament for the third time in the 2025 season. In the final, facing South Korean player Shin S, who had defeated him not long ago, Bai Yan fought hard in three sets and won the Hope Championship for the second time in the 2025 season.

In the first round of the Baotou Hope Tournament this week, Bai Yan defeated compatriot Zheng Zhan, and in two sets, he only allowed his opponent to win three games. Since the event is held in China, there are countless Chinese players who come to participate. Bai Yan's opponent in the second round was compatriot Zeng Yaojie. Since Zeng Yaojie's world ranking is far outside the top 1,000, many people think that Bai Yan's victory over his opponent is not a problem. However, in the game, Zeng Yaojie forced the set score to seven in both sets. Although Bai Yan eventually won the match, it was not easy to win.

In the quarter-finals, Bai Yan's opponent was Switzerland's L Castelnuovo. The two met last week at the Anning Hope Tournament, when Bai Yan won in straight sets. Because of this, Bai Yan, who had a certain psychological advantage, won the first set 6:4, however, in the second set, unexpectedly, L Castelnuovo gave Bai Yan a duck egg, dragging the match into the deciding set at the same time, allowing himself to see the hope of victory again. In the deciding set, Bai Yan sent a fritter to end the final suspense. It is worth mentioning that this is the first time in the 2025 season that Bai Yan has won eight consecutive victories.

Bai Yan's opponent in the semi-finals was India's Sasi Kumar. The two have met five times before, and Bai Yan has won all of them. This time, it was still Bai Yan who had the last laugh. After sweeping the victory, Bai Yan not only reached the final, but also returned to the Grand Slam qualifiers five years later.

In the final, his opponent was Australia's Kübler. So, will Bai Yan be able to defeat his opponent and win the championship? Let's wait and see. That's it for today, and it will continue tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Yixin Jushi)