2025 China Open: Zhang Shuai wins first match against Wang Xinyu to reach the round of 32, Bu Yunchaokete and Shang Juncheng exit in first round

On September 26, the 2025 China Open featured the women's singles second round and men's singles first round matches. Zhang Shuai defeated Wang Xinyu in straight sets to claim the “Golden Flower” derby, advancing to the women's singles round of 32. Bu Yunchaokete and Shang Juncheng both bowed out in the men's singles first round, marking the elimination of all local male players in this year's event.

Zhang Shuai (Photo: Visual China)

In the night session's highlight women's singles second-round match, Zhang Shuai beat Wang Xinyu 6-4, 6-2, securing her first victory in four meetings between them. She will face the tournament’s No. 3 seed, this year’s Wimbledon and US Open finalist Anisimova, in the third round. This marks Zhang’s first back-to-back main draw singles wins on the tour since last year’s China Open. Wang Xinyu, who turned 24 today, was unable to celebrate her birthday with a win.

In a post-match interview, Wang Xinyu said, “Last week at the Shenzhen Billie Jean King Cup was exhausting both physically and mentally. I came here feeling a bit tired and was unwell during training the past two days. My opponent played very well today, and I tried my best to play my style, but she often controlled the match. I heard many people cheering for me in the crowd, and overall I really enjoy playing in front of a home audience.”

Yi Yangqianxi served as the ball picker for the Bu Yunchaokete vs Deminal match (Photo: Gao Jun)

Last year's semifinalist and wildcard entrant Bu Yunchaokete made his second appearance on the Diamond Court, losing 4-6, 0-6 to No. 3 seed and current world No. 8 Deminal after 1 hour and 27 minutes. This marks Bu’s third straight loss against Deminal. Actor Yi Yangqianxi was the ball picker for this match. Following the loss of last year’s semifinal points, Bu Yunchaokete’s ranking will drop out of the top 100 next week, marking the first time since December 12, 2022, that no Chinese male player is ranked in the top 100.

Bu Yunchaokete (Photo: Gao Jun)

After the match, Bu Yunchaokete said his performance in the second set was affected by emotional instability: “In the first set, despite the pressure, I played acceptably, but after losing the first game of the second set, my emotions got a bit out of control, and my level dropped noticeably. I think this was one of my worst matches this year, partly because of my own expectations. I hope to perform better next time.”

Shang Juncheng (Photo: Li Jianyi)

Also competing with a wildcard, Chinese player Shang Juncheng was leading 6-0, 3-1 before being overturned by French player Kaczo. After a 2 hour and 41 minute battle, Shang lost 6-0, 6-7(5), 5-7, exiting in the first round.

During the deciding set, Shang Juncheng showed obvious discomfort in his leg and requested a medical timeout. However, in a post-match interview, he stated that he was not injured: “This was a high-quality match, and I played very well today. It’s one of the few matches this year where I fully showed my ability without any pain. Although I’m disappointed with the result, I really enjoyed the feeling on court, and the home crowd’s support was crucial.”

Lena Chen

In other men’s singles matches, No. 6 seed Rublev was upset 6-7(3), 3-6 by Italian player Cobolli in the first round. Cobolli will face American youngster Lena Chen, who came back from behind to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 against Cerundolo. No. 7 seed Menchik and No. 8 seed Medvedev advanced smoothly. Kazakhstan’s Bublyk, fresh off an ATP Hangzhou title, lost 3-6, 2-6 to French veteran Mannarino, who qualified through the qualifying rounds.

Gauff

Rybakina

In the women's singles, No. 2 seed Gauff, No. 6 seed Paolini, and No. 8 seed Rybakina all secured opening round victories. Two-time Grand Slam champion Krajicek defeated No. 9 seed Alexandrova 7-5, 6-2 to reach the round of 32, where she will face American player Kessler, who beat No. 20 seed Mertens 6-2, 6-4. No. 22 seed Ostapenko was defeated 3-6, 2-6 by qualifier Han Tianyu.

September 27 Schedule

On September 27, the 2025 China Open will continue with the second round of men’s and women’s singles. The Diamond Court will feature three Chinese players, with No. 7 seed Zheng Qinwen making her comeback debut in the prime night session against Colombia’s Arango, starting no earlier than 7 pm. Zhu Lin will open the day against No. 4 seed Andreyeva, and Yuan Yue will challenge top seed Swiatek in the second round. Deminal, Pegula, Naomi Osaka, and Raducanu will play on the Lotus Court.

(Written and edited by Wang Fei)