Cross-Straits sports partnerships herald more cooperation and beyond

Illustration: Liu Xiangya/Global Times

No athlete from the Chinese mainland has ever won a men's singles game at the Wimbledon Championships. 

Rising star Zhang Zhizhen came close to pulling that off and his progress has been palpable since hiring Lu Yen-hsun, a retired player from Taiwan island, to join his team. 

Lu made it to the quarterfinals of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships and had a career-high singles ranking of world No.33.

But the partnership has already helped Zhang set up a milestone on grass-court events. 

Zhang earned his first tour-level grass-court win at the Eastbourne ­International in the UK on June 27 and progressed all the way to the quarterfinals where he was seen off by world No.19 Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina. 

Meanwhile, Zhu Lin from the mainland and her partner Wu Fang-hsien from Taiwan advanced to the second round of Wimbledon women's doubles with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Ysaline Bonaventure and Maryna Zanevska on Saturday. 

Will they be able to emulate the success of Wang Xinyu and Hsieh Su-wei, the cross-Straits pair who rallied from a set down to win the French Open title in June?

We have reasons to be optimistic as cross-Taiwan Straits partnerships have a proven record of accomplishments, not only in the field of sports but also when demonstrating the rapport between the two sides. 

The partnership is a vivid portrayal of cross-Straits kinship, inspiring compatriots on both sides to stand shoulder to shoulder in sports and on the path toward national rejuvenation. 

During the award ceremony after their victory at Roland ­Garros, Wang and Hsieh were grateful to each other for their efforts. 

The feat was made more remarkable by the fact it was only their second tournament together after teaming up only one month ago. 

"We were not thinking too much about winning or losing," Wang said after the final. "We were just really enjoying each other's company on the court."

Some netizens from the island of Taiwan said that this is a ­beautiful picture of outstanding athletes from both sides of the Straits ­demonstrating their rapport on the international stage and an epitome of the close bond across the Straits.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, also sent ­congratulations to the pair and wished them higher achievements in the future. 

"The cross-Straits pair fighting for national glory at an international competition is strong evidence of mutually beneficial sports exchanges. We believe that cross-Straits cooperation will continue to expand and yield more win-win outcomes," said Zhu. 

The remark gives us higher ­expectations of people from both sides of the Taiwan Straits getting to know each other and working together in the future, injecting vitality to the cross-Straits relations.

Cross-Straits sports exchanges would help bridge the gap between the coaches and athletes of the two sides, promoting athletic competition and sports development in a ­mutually beneficial way. 

The island of Taiwan is strong in baseball and softball while the mainland excels in many other sports. 

It's also a ­tradition for mainland ­Olympic gold medalists to visit Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao and share their ­successful ­experiences with their counterparts. 

In June, a delegation of prominent sports coaches from the mainland visited Taiwan at the invitation of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee. 

Mainland coaches of badminton, table tennis, gymnastics, weight lifting and fencing exchanged ideas with their peers in Taiwan and helped train local athletes there.

"We hope that people from sports sectors on both sides of the Taiwan Straits can learn from and gain a better understanding of each other, and enhance our friendship," Xia Xuanze, head coach of the Chinese badminton singles, told the Xinhua News Agency in Taipei on June 29. 

These established tennis pairs at international competitions, such as Wang Xinyu and Hsieh Su-wei as well as Zhu Lin and Wu Fang-hsien, will open windows for new future partnerships in areas such as badminton, table tennis as well as sports medicine and venue management.