New Delhi, 12 October (H.S.): China’s Zheng Qinwen and Russia’s Mirra Andreeva have withdrawn from the Wuhan Open following their women’s singles final at the China Open in Beijing. Zheng cited an injury to her right shoulder, while Andreeva decided to pull out due to scheduling adjustments. The two players had contested the women’s singles title match at the China Open.

Zheng defeated Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 on Sunday to become the first Chinese player to win the China Open title. The victory marked her maiden WTA 1000 title and her first singles title since triumphing in Tokyo in 2024.

However, the triumph came after a demanding run of matches for the Chinese star, who had returned to competitive tennis following a break due to injury. Since her comeback, she had competed at the US Open, the Billie Jean King Cup and the Beijing tournament.

Announcing her withdrawal, Zheng said in a statement that the physical demands of playing several consecutive matches had left her exhausted.

According to the WTA, Zheng said, “I am very sorry to announce that I am withdrawing from this year’s Wuhan Open. Wuhan is where my tennis dream began, and the Wuhan Open is the tournament where I established myself at the WTA 1000 level. I have always looked forward to playing in front of the fans in my hometown. However, since returning from injury, I have competed in several demanding tournaments over the past month and a half, including the US Open, the Billie Jean King Cup and the China Open. After so many tough matches, my body feels extremely tired. I am eagerly looking forward to returning to the Wuhan Open next year and stepping onto the court in my best form.”

The withdrawals have necessitated changes to the Wuhan Open women’s singles draw. American teenager Iva Jovic, the next eligible seeded player entitled to a bye, will replace Andreeva at line 17 of the draw and advance directly to the second round. Anna Bondar, entering the main draw as a lucky loser, will take Jovic’s original place and face Mia Pohankova on Monday.

Zheng’s vacant spot will be filled by lucky loser Camila Osorio, who is scheduled to face Ann Li in the first round on Tuesday.

The Beijing title has significantly improved Zheng’s ranking prospects following her impressive comeback in recent months. After ranking 160th in mid-June, her run to the quarter-finals of the US Open and her title-winning performance in Beijing are expected to lift her to 23rd in the latest rankings.

Since losing in qualifying in Toronto, the Chinese player has won 13 of her last 14 tour-level matches, underlining her outstanding recent form.

For Andreeva, reaching the Beijing final marked her fifth final of the 2026 season. The Russian has won three of those finals, claiming titles in Adelaide, Linz and at Roland-Garros. Following her runner-up finish in Beijing, she is now expected to turn her attention to the season-ending WTA Finals, scheduled for mid-November in Indian Wells.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar