Zheng Qinwen confirms withdrawal from Wuhan Open after surgery setback

Chinese fan-favourite Zheng Qinwen was forced to pull out of the Wuhan Open after not fully recovering from elbow surgery. She attempted to make a comeback in Beijing, but that was cut short.

The 22-year-old had prepared to make a highly anticipated return to her home country, as she ambitiously attempted to feature in both WTA 1000 events in China. She impressed last year, making it to the semi-finals in Beijing and the final in Wuhan, where she was defeated by world number one Aryna Sabalenka. The same progress was not to be made this year, with her elbow problems once again forcing her to fall back to the sidelines.

Zheng started to feel pain and discomfort in her elbow, affecting her when on the court. After a shock first-round exit against Katerina Siniakova, she made the decision to have arthroscopic surgery on her right elbow. This would inevitably force her to miss the US Open as she stepped up her recovery to be fit for the Asian swing.

She was able to step out in front of her home fans in the China Open, as she took down lucky loser Emiliana Arango in straight sets. She would come up against Linda Noskova in the round-of-32. The pair traded breaks in the first set before the Czech star managed to get her nose in front, taking the early advantage. Zheng fought her way back into it, collecting the sole break in the second set to tie the scoreline. She would then make the sensible decision of retiring when 3-0 down in the third set, citing pain in her elbow when she struck the ball. This has since led to specialists advising her not to feature in Wuhan, with Zheng officially withdrawing from the event.

"After consulting with doctors and my team, I'm sorry to announce my withdrawal from this year's Wuhan Open," Zheng said on Weibo. "I'm very grateful for the support from all fans, especially those from my hometown. I look forward to seeing you at the Wuhan Open next year."

This is a huge blow for the 2024 Olympic gold medallist. She sees Wuhan as her home event with her previously spending five years living there while she was a child. From a tennis point of view, she will lose a number of ranking points from the final appearance last year, which could see her drop down the rankings.

It was a standout 2024 for Zheng, who made it to the Australian Open and WTA Finals, as well as four WTA quarter-finals, including the two runs in China. The standout was the Olympic gold medal, ending Iga Swiatek's incredible unbeaten streak at Roland Garros to become the first Asian tennis player to achieve this feet. She rose to a new high of fourth in the world halfway through 2024, with the sky her limit.

She has not been able to progress in 2025, not making it to a final this year. She has made it to the quarter-finals of Roland Garros, Indian Wells Open and Miami Open, along with a semi-final at the Italian Open. Other than that, it has been mostly early exits from big tournaments. The grass swing was where her elbow flaired up, which not only costed her the chance to compete at the US Open, but the two 1000 events beforehand in Montreal and Cincinnati. Her hopes of defending her final showing at the WTA Finals have faded as she currently sits 21st in the race to Riyadh. Once she has got past her elbow troubles, she will be striving for a much more positive 2026, as she cites a return to the top of women's tennis.