Tearful and distraught, Wang Xinyu suffers a first-round defeat at the Wuhan Open, causing her ranking to sharply decline!

The 2025 China Open has recently ended, and the yearly WTA1000 Wuhan Open has officially started. Being a top-tier event hosted in China, the player roster at Wuhan every year is impressive, and this year remains the same.

Not only are top three players like Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Gauff participating, but Grand Slam champions such as Naomi Osaka, Leylah Fernandez, and Ostapenko are also featured in the draw.

Regarding local players, four Chinese women—Wang Xinyu, Zhu Lin, Zhang Shuai, and Yuan Yue—are competing in the Wuhan Open main singles draw this year, with only Wang Xinyu gaining direct entry based on her world ranking.

Especially after Zheng Qinwen withdrew early from the Wuhan Open due to injury, Wang Xinyu, as the highest-ranked Chinese player in the draw, was naturally expected to advance further in this home tournament.

It is worth noting that last year, Wang Xinyu, also unseeded, consecutively defeated Dolehide and Potapova, then beat the tournament’s second seed Pegula in straight sets in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, she fought through three sets to overcome Aleksandrova, eventually meeting Zheng Qinwen in a surprising semifinal showdown.

This year, Wang Xinyu’s first-round opponent was Japan’s qualifier Uesugi Moeka, who had already defeated another Chinese player Wang Xiyu in qualifying. The Japanese player advanced from qualifying and upset Wang Xinyu 6-4, 7-6(3) to reach the second round.

Throughout the match, Wang Xinyu requested a medical timeout near the end of the first set due to lower back discomfort. In the second set tiebreak, while leading 3-2, she lost five consecutive points and broke down emotionally, covering her face in tears.

After losing the 390 points from last year’s semifinal run, Wang Xinyu’s current ranking plummeted from 37th to 62nd. According to the schedule, her next tournament will be the WTA500 event in Ningbo.

Reviewing Wang Xinyu’s season, it can be described as “a strong start followed by a decline.” She showed brilliance by defeating Gauff and Badosa to reach the final at the WTA500 Berlin event but also suffered early exits in ten tournaments. Still young as a post-2000 player, she has a long career ahead if she can maintain her health.

Among the other two Chinese women competing in singles yesterday, Yuan Yue overcame qualifier Bronzeti in two tight tiebreak sets, 7-6(2), 7-6(1), advancing to the second round where she will face the tournament’s seventh seed, Paolini.

Veteran Zhu Lin, despite saving four match points during the match, was ultimately defeated 5-7, 6-7 by Australian rising star Jonté, missing out on advancing further.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)