BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week:
1. Zheng toppled by ruthless Sabalenka in Australian Open final
China's Zheng Qinwen had her Grand Slam dreams crushed on January 27 as second seed Aryna Sabalenka defended her title in style at the Australian Open.
Sabalenka capped her sparkling form at Melbourne Park with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory in 76 minutes.
Despite her loss, 21-year-old Zheng became only the second Chinese player after two-time Grand Slam winner Li Na to reach the singles final in a Grand Slam tournament.
2. Zhang, Machac fall short in dramatic men's doubles semifinal at Australian Open
The barnstorming run of China's Zhang Zhizhen and Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic at the Australian Open ended on January 25 as they fell short in a thrilling men's doubles semifinal to second seeds Matthew Ebden and Rohan Bopanna.
The unseeded Chinese-Czech pairing had unexpectedly made a strong tilt at the title, but were halted by doubles specialists Ebden and Bopanna 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7).
Thursday's loss ended the Australian Open campaign of Zhang, China's highest-ranked men's singles player, as he had lost the second round to 21st seed Ugo Humbert in four sets.
3. China fails to reach Asian Cup knockouts
Hasan Al Haydos came off the bench to score a thunderous volley as Qatar beat China 1-0 in the final matchday of Group A at the AFC Asian Cup on January 22.
The qualification of Syria, who finished as one of the four best third-placed teams with four points after edging India 1-0 in its last group match on January 23, later ruled out China's chances of reaching the last 16.
4. China dominates short track speed skating, adds free ski silver at Gangwon 2024
China dominated short track speed skating at the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games with four gold and four silver medals.
Li Jinzi, Yang Jingru, Zhang Bohao and Zhang Xinzhe comfortably finished first in the mixed-gender team relay final that wrapped up the short track speed skating competition on January 24.
16-year-old Zhang Xinzhe picked up two golds and two silvers in total, demonstrating his promising future as a prodigy.
5. Shenzhen FC quits Chinese professional football league
The inaugural Chinese Super League (CSL) champion Shenzhen FC has quit the professional football league, the club announced on January 22.
"According to the list of debt-clearing clubs announced by the Chinese Football Association, Shenzhen Football Club failed to pass the professional league's admission for the 2024 season and cannot continue to compete in the professional football league," read the club's announcement.
Founded in 1994, Shenzhen FC won the first CSL championship in 2004. The outfit finished 16th in CSL last season, thus being relegated to the second tier.
6. China's diving squad ready for Doha World Aquatics
China's diving team revealed their lineup as they gear up for the upcoming 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar.
The roster includes all six Olympic champions -- Quan Hongchan, Chen Yuxi, Xie Siyi, Wang Zongyuan, Cao Yuan, and Zhang Jiaqi.
The 2024 World Aquatics Championships, scheduled from February 2 to 18, will be the final qualification stage for securing berths at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.■
