SYDNEY, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- After a remarkable breakout at the United Cup, emerging from obscurity to experience unprecedented worldwide attention, Chinese women's tennis player Gao Xinyu is vowing to "live in the moment" as she strives to qualify for the Australian Open.
The 27-year-old inspired China to the quarterfinals of the mixed teams tournament after she upset Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia and Germany's Laura Siegemund with courageous three-set victories at Perth's RAC Arena.
Fifth-seeded China's chances of a deep run appeared to take a major hit when women's world No. 5 Zheng Qinwen pulled out as she prioritized rest ahead of the Australian Open.
But the 175th-ranked Gao filled her shoes superbly having initially arrived in Perth as a substitute in China's squad. She had not even grasped the rules of the United Cup, where ties between countries consist of men's and women's singles matches followed by mixed doubles.
But Zheng's withdrawal meant Gao, who last September won her first tour-level match after a nearly decade-long career plagued by injuries, was suddenly thrust on the big stage of international tennis.
"I was very nervous before the United Cup. It is actually my first time representing my country in such a big game," Gao told Xinhua recently in Perth.
But Gao showed no signs of nerves after bravely overcoming cramps to edge Haddad Maia 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 in a three-hour, 22-minute thriller that was the longest women's singles match in tournament history.
With her left thigh heavily strapped, she clinched the biggest victory of her career in her first match against a top 50-ranked player.
"I'm fighting for my country this time, and I'm fighting for myself too," Gao said. "I feel like I've done everything I can."
Gao's confidence was sky-high, and she continued her show-stopping performance with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 upset of 80th-ranked Siegemund in two hours and 17 minutes.
After a second set stumble, a composed Gao regrouped to overwhelm Siegemund, and she celebrated the gutsy victory by raising both her arms triumphantly in the air.
Gao's heavy workload did take its toll and unfortunately, she had to pull out of China's quarterfinal against the United States and a blockbuster match-up with world No. 3 Coco Gauff.
But she had so memorably left her mark as Gao shone brightly in the spotlight and had the large contingent of Chinese fans at the 15,000-seat RAC Arena in the palm of her hands in heroics that attracted considerable worldwide attention.
"I thought, since Zheng Qinwen would not come here, there would not be many people to watch the game," Gao said. "But the fact is more and more people came, and I felt like I was playing in China. There is no difference playing here and at home."
"I didn't expect there would be so many people to cheer for me. I think this time you have to do your best," she said.
Gao had once been a highly-touted player in the junior ranks before reaching a professional ranking of 180 at 19 years old. She was projected to become one of China's best players in women's tennis before injuries and off-court issues saw her career fall away.
It might have taken some time, but Gao's potential is starting to be realized and her gutsy performances in Perth have made her a firm fan favorite as she starts grappling with unexpected fame.
"I will tell myself not to pay too much attention to these things," Gao said about her newfound attention. "When I view online videos, I would swipe away from those about myself. I think it is already difficult to do what you should do."
Having started the new year with much fanfare, an excited Gao has set her sights on cracking the top 100 in the women's rankings for the first time. But, right now, Gao's immediate goal is to qualify for the upcoming Australian Open in her bid to realize a dream and play under the bright lights of a grand slam event.
"A grand slam tournament is definitely a goal. Every player's dream is to participate in grand slam tournaments," she said. "What I can do now is to stop thinking about the past, live in the moment, and go as far as I can," she added. ■
