If you were paying attention during Zhu Lin‘s first-round win over Moyuka Uchijima on Thursday in Beijing, you may have noticed that she was flipping through a notebook during the match.
The 31-year-old actually reads her notebook during every match. What, may we ask, is in there that’s so important?
“It has some scribbles from my husband,” the Chinese World No. 253 told reporters after her impressive 6-1, 6-3 win. “Opponents’ stats. Some encouraging words from my husband. How to adjust my mentality. Just some encouraging messages.
“If I’m not clear enough, I will just look at the notebook to look at these reminders so I can be focused in the match. Yes, it’s all from my husband.”
The victory was Lin’s first main-draw win in Beijing since 2014, her debut at the China Open, when she advanced after Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova retired.
“I really get into the game very quick,” said Lin, who practices in the same club as Uchijima and hits with her frequently. “I was able to find my rhythm. Yeah, the first set went well and quick. I know it’s not going to be like this. She start to play well in the second set. We had a lot of rallies.
“I had to really focus on my service game and really focus on the decisions on every point. I’m really happy with the result.”
Lin, who received a wild card into this tournament, is looking for another big result at a WTA 1000 tournament two months removed from an impressive run in Montreal.
Coming into that tournament ranked 493rd — due in large part to an elbow injury that cost her five months of action at the end of 2024 and another three at the start of 2025 — she won three matches, one of which was over 12th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, to reach the fourth round. It was just the second time in her career, after the 2023 Australian Open, that she had reached the Round of 16 at a WTA 1000 tournament or above.
Next up for Lin is World No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, who received a first-round bye.