No warm-up for the Australian Open? Zheng Qinwen to participate in two exhibition matches!

As the 2026 season draws nearer, the warm-up schedules for the upcoming first Grand Slam of the year—the Australian Open—have largely been confirmed. From the leading players’ perspective, Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Anisimova, and Rybakina all opted for either Brisbane or United Cup followed by a week’s rest before competing in the Australian Open.

Players ranked between 6th and 10th in the world mostly selected the Brisbane + Adelaide + Australian Open path, with only world No. 8 Paolini resting for a week after playing the United Cup before heading to Melbourne Park for the Australian Open.

Regarding Chinese players, among those directly qualified for the Australian Open main draw, Wang Xinyu has registered for two WTA250 tournaments in Auckland and Hobart; Wang Yafan chose to warm up through two W75 events in Canberra. Both players aim to regain their form by playing as many matches as possible.

In contrast, Zhang Shuai’s schedule is more premium, as she signed up for two WTA500 events in Brisbane and Adelaide. The warm-up plan of China’s current top female player Zheng Qinwen is also attracting attention. According to the latest reports, Zheng will play an exhibition match against Rybakina on January 13, 2026, followed the next day by an exhibition featuring Anisimova vs. Svitolina.

At the same time, Zheng Qinwen has confirmed her participation in the Australian Open’s one-point sudden death event on January 14. This novel format decides the winner by a single point, with players determining serve rights through “rock-paper-scissors.” Both professionals and amateurs compete together, and any player who wins five consecutive points (eliminating five opponents in a row) can claim a huge prize.

This year’s prize money reaches up to 1 million Australian dollars, approximately 4.662 million RMB. The amateur who advances the furthest in the competition will also receive a car sponsored by the official partner, making this incentive quite appealing.

Among the confirmed participants so far, the men’s lineup includes Alcaraz, Sinner, Medvedev, and Kyrgios, while the women’s side features Swiatek, Gauff, Naomi Osaka, and Zheng Qinwen, marking Zheng’s debut in this event.

Of course, some fans find it puzzling that Zheng Qinwen skips tour events for warm-up but chooses to enter two exhibition matches instead. However, the player’s decision surely considers her physical condition. We look forward to Zheng delivering a strong performance at the start of next year after such a long rest.

It is worth mentioning that a large group of Chinese players will also appear in this year’s Australian Open qualifying rounds. Yuan Yue, Zhu Lin, Bai Zhuoxuan, Gao Xinyu, Wang Xiyu, Guo Hanyu, Ma Yexin, Wei Sijia, and Wu Yibing have all secured entry!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)