Shocking and disappointing, Chinese players failed to advance in the Wuhan qualifiers.

Recently, six Chinese female tennis players — Shao Yushan, Li Zongyu, Ren Yufei, Jiang Xinyu, Yao Xinxin, and Zhu Chenting — participated in the WTA1000 China Open qualifiers via wildcards. In the opening round, Shao Yushan, Li Zongyu, Ren Yufei, and Jiang Xinyu all suffered clear losses and failed to move forward. Although Zhu Chenting fought hard and pushed her opponent to a tiebreak, the gap in skill and experience led to her unfortunate defeat.

Yao Xinxin, who won a challenger title this season and competed in Grand Slam qualifiers, managed to drag the match to a deciding set after losing the first. Although she ultimately lost, she was the best-performing Chinese female player in the WTA1000 China Open qualifiers. So, how did Chinese players fare in the WTA1000 Wuhan Open qualifiers? This article will take you through the details.

Unlike the WTA1000 China Open qualifiers, only Wang Xiyu and Tian Fangran received wildcards for the WTA1000 Wuhan Open qualifiers, while Wang Yafan entered based on a protected ranking. In the first round, Tian Fangran faced the 11th seed qualifier, Italian player Bronzetti. This was Tian’s first match against a top 100 player in the 2025 season. Despite her full effort, Tian managed to win only six games throughout the match. Objectively, it was a comprehensive defeat. After the loss, Tian had no choice but to leave the tournament.

Wang Xiyu’s first-round opponent was the 9th seed qualifier, Spanish player Bucsa, who recently reached her career-first Grand Slam round of 16 at the US Open. In the first set, Bucsa scored consecutively and took it 6-2, gaining the upper hand. However, Wang Xiyu gradually found her rhythm and reversed the match by winning two sets 6-3, securing a hard-fought victory to advance.

Wang Yafan faced the 16th seed qualifier, Turkish player Sönmez, in the first round. In the opening set, just as her opponent was about to claim a set point, Wang mounted a comeback and took the set 6-4. Although Sönmez won the second set 6-4, pushing the match to a decider, Wang Yafan clinched the final set 6-4 to secure her place in the next round.

In the final qualifying round, Wang Yafan played against the 7th seed qualifier, Czech player Siniakova. Having defeated Wang multiple times before, Siniakova held a psychological edge. She won the first set 6-3. In the second set, Wang earned multiple set points, but remarkably, Siniakova fought back to level the score and then went ahead, eventually winning 7-5 to claim her fifth victory over Wang.

Meanwhile, Wang Xiyu’s opponent was Japanese player Naejima Moeka, who recently achieved a four-match winning streak at the WTA1000 Madrid Open and made her career-first WTA1000 quarterfinal. In this match, Wang Xiyu was swept aside by her opponent, ending her run. Thus, all three Chinese players were eliminated early in the WTA1000 Wuhan Open qualifiers. It seems that Chinese women’s tennis still has a long way to go. That’s the tennis story for today; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)