I'm watching a Chinese tennis player being thrashed, but the crowd is still on her side.
As for other sporting venues, the Olympic Green Tennis Centre is now used by the Chinese Tennis Association, and several other sports centres are used by universities.
The breakout for Chinese women tennis came in 2004, when little-known duo Sun Tiantian and Li Ting snatched gold in the doubles at the Athens Olympics.
Reached by telephone, an official at the Chinese Table Tennis and Badminton Center, which is affiliated with the country's General Administration of Sports, was unable to provide any information about Yu's status.
Yet, sports were not altogether neglected: trainers, facilities and travel funds were amply provided by the Chinese government for sports like table tennis and gymnastics (both top individual and not team sports, interestingly) where the Chinese excelled.
Tennis courts and academies are sprouting up in many Chinese cities, attracting youths who aspire to become the country's next big stars.
Lu Ang, a commentator at CCTV's tennis and golf channel, credits the record of Chinese players to the revamp of China's sports system, which now encourages more individual initiative and more international competition.
When former No.1-ranked Serbian tennis player Jelena Jankovic was dropped by Reebok she turned to Chinese sportswear firm Anta.
The behemoth from Beaverton, Oregon has already shown how much it values the Chinese market by signing sponsorship contracts with stars like NBA phenom Jeremy Lin, tennis star Li Na and Olympic hurdler Liu Xiang.
Even in the sort of murky postcommunism that grips much of the country today, many Chinese still see skiing as an elite sport in the same category as horseback riding, golf and tennis.
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