Britain’s Lucy Shuker stormed to a straight sets victory over ZhenZhen Zhu 6/2 6/2 in her opening match at the 2022 Australian Open.
Calm, relaxed and in control.
That’s exactly how Lucy Shuker looked as she patrolled the baseline in her opening singles match against ZhenZhen Zhu. And when it came to showcasing just how good she is at the net, well the Brit didn’t falter there either, a couple of nicely timed drop shots causing her opponent plenty of trouble.
Yes there was lots to love about Lucy Shuker’s performance on the opening day of the Australian Open wheelchair tennis draw.
“I’m super happy. I just felt like I executed the game plan well,” Shuker said to Two Bounce Rule after the match. “I feel like I’ve been striking the ball really well out here and I think fitness wise it just shows all the hard work that I did all through lockdown and have done since then.
“In the end it all came together and I got the win.”
“It shows all of the hard work I’ve done year after year, it’s just coming together”
Lucy Shuker (GBR)
Back in the top ten of the singles rankings and offered a wildcard to compete at Melbourne Park this year, you can tell Shuker is feeling confident on court and the time she has put into her game, continually striving to improve is really paying off.
From start to finish you always felt the match was on her racket, carefully constructing the points, – hitting some killer angles and really pushing her shots deep into the court, with of course some trademark Shuker volleys sprinkled in too – to make her opponent have to work hard to get the edge over her in games.
She said, “It shows all the hard work I’ve done year after year, it’s just coming together. I felt good on court, I felt like I was kind of in control.
“Zhu makes a lot of balls, she’s pretty consistent. All of the girls they’re all fighters, they’re all great tennis players, they all deserve to be here so you’ve just got to concentrate every single point.
“Even at five one up in that second set, you know you haven’t won it until that last point, you can lose a match from 5-1 up as well so I’m really happy that I stayed on it and got the win.”
” You’re not defined by your wins and losses, I give it my all and that’s what I want to be known for”
Lucy Shuker (GBR)
And as she progresses to the singles semi-final where she will meet World No.1 and defending champion Diede de Groot she’s got a clear focus of how she’s going to continue to approach her matches.
“It’s about setting yourself goals,” she told Two Bounce Rule Tennis. “It’s about going on court knowing that you’ve done the hard work and trusting that.
“For me it’s about focusing on each point, each shot, each rally – just reset, go again, have good routines and good habits.
“You’re not defined by your wins or your losses, I give it my all that’s what I want to be known for and if it’s good enough on the day then I get the win and that’s epic for me.”
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