If the buzz surrounding Cheng Che's entry into the finals was a gentle stream, then the buzz surrounding his victory was an overwhelming tidal wave.
At the moment the final ended, the domestic internet was still in the early hours of the morning.
But countless people didn't sleep at all; they stayed in front of their screens and watched the entire four-hour and twenty-one-minute match.
When Cheng Che scored the final point, Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Bilibili, and all other platforms simultaneously exploded.
The effect of the [ Ten-Million-Tier Popularity Card ] was completely unleashed at this moment.
With the cross-circle spread of the "[ Barrier Breaker ]" meme, Cheng Che's name soared to the top of the trending searches on all platforms within half an hour.
Seven out of the top ten trending topics on Weibo are related to Cheng Che.
Australian Open Cheng Che #
Cheng Che comes back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2#
# Xia Country's first Grand Slam men's Champion #
# Cheng Che #
Zverev was beaten so badly he couldn't run#
# Cheng Che #
Federer congratulates Cheng Che #
Clicking into each post reveals a massive amount of discussion.
A sports blogger posted a long article:
"I'll say something that might offend some people. Cheng Che's victory is more than just a Champion for our tennis community. He has brought tennis to a level it has never reached before. In the past, when we organized tournaments, the first question sponsors would ask was, 'Will anyone watch?' Now I can tell them with certainty, yes. Cheng Che Che's matches were broadcast in more than 100 countries around the world, and the number of online viewers broke records. He single-handedly expanded the entire market."
This Weibo was instantly forwarded 50,000 times.
In the comments section, many tennis professionals left messages.
[I'm a grassroots tennis coach. Before, when I was recruiting students, parents would ask me, 'What's the point of playing tennis?' Now I can tell them that tennis can produce world Champion. Cheng Che has made my work meaningful.]
[I'm a sports journalist who has covered tennis for over a decade. In the past, when I covered Grand Slams, there were almost no Xia Country faces in the stands. Today, I'm here, and all around me are Xia Country waving their national flags. I cried.]
[A retired player. I played tennis for twenty years, and my highest ranking was 150. Cheng Che achieved is something I never even dared to dream of. He made our generation of tennis players finally able to stand tall and say, "We Xia Country can also win Grand Slams."]
[The tennis equipment store owner, Cheng Che, has sold over 300 rackets of the model he endorses since opening this morning. He used to sell more than that in a month. He single-handedly revitalized the entire industry.]
[Thank you Cheng Che for choosing tennis. His level of popularity and influence is top-tier in any sport. His choice of tennis is fortunate for us.]
Among the retired athletes, one name stands out.
Kang Lan, a former leading figure in Xia Country women's tennis and a Grand Slam doubles Champion.
She posted a message on Weibo: " Cheng Che, welcome to the Grand Champion club. From today onwards, tennis in Xia Country will no longer be just women's tennis."
The comments below number over ten thousand.
Meanwhile, in the living room of Cheng Jianguo's home in Spring City.
Jiang Xue started crying the moment Cheng Che scored the last point.
She covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
Cheng Jianguo sat beside him, his eyes also reddening, but he didn't cry. He just kept repeating, "Good, good, good."
When Cheng Che, draped in the national flag, stood on the podium on television, Jiang Xue could no longer sit still.
She picked up her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and started calling them one by one.
The first call was to Cheng Qingshan: "Dad! Cheche won! A Grand Slam! A world Champion!"
Cheng Qingshan's voice trembled on the other end of the phone. "Really? That Australian Open? He won?"
"We won! We won! We came back from 0-2 down to win 3-2! The whole world is watching!"
After hanging up with Cheng Qingshan, he called Zhou Lan.
Then came Cheng Jianguo's siblings, then Jiang Xue's own sisters, then her old neighbors from Clearwater Bay Residential Complex, and then her regular customers from the cultural and creative store.
She made over a dozen phone calls, each one saying the same thing, "My son won! He's a world Champion!"
Cheng Jianguo sat beside her, watching her make a phone call, a smile playing on his lips.
After Jiang Xue finished typing, he reached for the phone.
I'll play a few too.
He called several old colleagues, former coworkers from the factory, and finally, after thinking for a moment, called Cheng Che's elementary school homeroom teacher.
"Is this Teacher Wang? I'm Cheng Jianguo, Cheng Che's father. Yes, that's Cheng Che. He won the Australian Open Champion today, the world's biggest tennis tournament. Yes, he brought glory to the country. I just wanted to tell you to thank you for nurturing him back then."
An excited voice came from the other end of the phone, and Cheng Jianguo responded with "uh-huh" and "yeah," his smile never fading.
And in more phone calls and more WeChat groups, Cheng Che's name was spread again and again.
Cheng Che's elementary school homeroom teacher posted an old photo on WeChat Moments.
It's Cheng Che's sixth-grade graduation photo. He's standing in the second row, not very tall, with a round face and a simple, honest smile.
The caption reads, "My student, Cheng Che, won the Australian Open Champion and the World Champion today. I taught him math."
The comments section was full of "The teacher is really good at teaching," " Cheng Che was so cute when he was little," and "I'm just benefiting from his fame."
My junior high school homeroom teacher also received one.
The accompanying image is a screenshot of Cheng Che's junior high school report card, showing a perfect score in math, an 80-something in Chinese, and a 90-something in English.
The caption reads, "He was smart back then, but I never imagined he'd get this far. Proud."
Old Xu, the high school homeroom teacher, also posted it.
The accompanying image was a screenshot from CCTV showing Cheng Che's back in a classroom during his senior year of high school.
The caption was just one sentence. "I knew he was extraordinary all along."
Meanwhile, Cheng Che's classmates were also posting about it like crazy on their WeChat Moments.
Guo Xin posted. "My brother, Cheng Che, is the Australian Open Champion. I've known him since elementary school. Aren't you envious?" The comments section was full of people asking him if he could help get an autograph.
Su Qingyue didn't post anything, she just set the photo of Cheng Che receiving the award as her WeChat Moments background.
Zhou Mingxuan posted. "Classmate, world Champion. Now I can say 'I know him' when we go out to eat."
Lin Xiao posted a short "Congratulations" message along with a screenshot of Cheng Che's competition.
At Peking University, the official account also took action.
Peking University's official Weibo account posted a message:
"Congratulations to Cheng Che, a 2023 undergraduate student from the School of Mathematical Sciences of our university, for winning the men's singles Champion at the Australia Tennis Open. He is the pride of Peking University and also the pride of Xia Country men's tennis."
The accompanying photos are Cheng Che's ID photo taken when he enrolled in school, and a photo of him on the Australian Open podium.
The two photos are placed side by side: one is of him when he first entered Peking University, clean and youthful; the other is of him holding up a trophy, mature and confident.
The comment section quickly garnered over 10,000 views.
[ Peking University: Our students are world Champion. Do you have any?]
A math major won a world tennis Champion —what a cross-disciplinary miracle!
[ Cheng Che: Not only did I do well on the college entrance exam, I'm also good at basketball.]
[ Peking University's admission brochure can be updated: Come to Peking University, and you too can become a world Champion ]
[My Che Baby has truly brought honor to our alma mater!]
From today onwards, I am not only a fan of Cheng Che, but also a fan of Peking University.
And this is only the internet in Xia Country.
On external websites, the effects of the [ Ten-Million-Tier Popularity Card ] and [ Barrier Breaker ] are also gaining traction.
The ATP official account immediately posted a congratulatory message: " Cheng Che, Australian Open Champion. Nineteen years old, first Grand Slam. The future is here."
Federer's account retweeted the post and added a caption.
This is the third time he has publicly mentioned Cheng Che.
The first time was when Cheng Che was at the Hang City Youth Games, and he was curious about this young man's competition.
The second time was when he won the Tokyo Open, he said, "Welcome to the professional tennis world."
This time, his words were even stronger.
"I remember doing the same thing when I was his age. But Cheng Che progressed faster and more steadily. His tennis possesses a maturity beyond his age; his ability to read the game, execute tactics, and control his body are all beyond his years."
He paused for a moment, then wrote at the end, "The future is already in his hands."
This post was shared 100,000 times within half an hour.
In the comments section, tennis fans all over the world are marveling at this.
" Federer said the future is in his hands. What does that mean? It means he believes Cheng Che can become the next him."
"He might even be stronger than Federer. Federer hadn't won a Grand Slam when he was nineteen."
"His hard-court skills are truly terrifying. He came back from 0-2 down to defeat Zverev 3-2. That kind of mental fortitude can't be trained."
" Federer's blessing is the highest level of recognition in the tennis world. Cheng Che, you did it."
In the players' lounge at Melbourne Park, Cheng Che sat in a chair, holding the Champion trophy in his hand.
The trophy was heavy, and its metallic surface gleamed coldly under the light.
He glanced down, then looked up at the doorway.
Qin Lie stood at the door, his face full of smiles.
"There are dozens of reporters waiting outside," Qin Lie said. " The Champion press conference is in one hour. Are you ready?"
Cheng Che placed the trophy on the table and stood up.
"Ready."