Zheng Qinwen saved three set points in the first set of the China Open final on Sunday and beat Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4. She became the first Chinese player to win the tournament. A day later, neither finalist was in the Wuhan Open draw.
Zheng withdrew from the last WTA 1000 of the season, played in her hometown, with a right shoulder injury. Andreeva, who reached the top three of the rankings for the first time on Monday, withdrew citing a change of schedule.
“Wuhan is where my tennis dream began, and the Wuhan Open is also where I made my breakthrough at the WTA 1000 level,” Zheng said in a statement. She said she had played “a demanding stretch of tennis” since returning from injury, at the US Open, the Billie Jean King Cup and the China Open. “My body is feeling very fatigued after this intense run of matches,” she said. “I look forward to returning to the Wuhan Open next year and stepping on to the court in my best possible form.”
The draw. Iva Jovic, the No. 10 seed and the next seed eligible for a bye, moves onto Andreeva’s line and goes straight to the second round. Lucky loser Anna Bondar took Jovic’s original place and lost 6-1, 6-3 on Monday to wild card Mia Pohankova. Colombia’s Camila Osorio, also a lucky loser, replaces Zheng and plays Ann Li in the first round. The winner meets top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who has a bye.
Five out, five in. Zheng and Andreeva join three other withdrawals: No. 4 seed Linda Noskova with a left calf injury, Oleksandra Oliynykova with a right ankle injury and Anna Kalinskaya with illness. Five lucky losers have now entered the main draw: Osorio, Bondar, Ashlyn Krueger, Lanlana Tararudee and Magdalena Frech. On Monday Tararudee beat Diane Parry 6-4, 6-1 and Frech beat qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-3, 7-6(5). Krueger plays Zhang Shuai. What Is a Lucky Loser in Tennis explains how the replacements are chosen and what a lucky loser has to do to stay eligible.
Monday’s upset. Chinese qualifier Shi Han, ranked No. 217, came from a set down to beat No. 13 seed Alexandra Eala 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in 2 hours 27 minutes. It was her first win over a top-20 player. Eala led 3-2 in the second set before Shi won seven games in a row, and Shi won 16 of 18 points over her last four service games. “I tried to be patient and play my best tennis,” Shi said. She plays Leylah Fernandez next. Elsewhere, Clara Tauson retired against Marie Bouzkova at 1-6, 0-2 with a left lower leg injury.
What it means. Andreeva has already qualified for the WTA Finals at Indian Wells, where she is next scheduled to play in mid-November. Zheng was ranked No. 160 in mid-June. She returned to the top 30 in Monday’s rankings after reaching the US Open quarterfinals and winning Beijing. She is next entered at the Japan Women’s Open in Osaka, which runs from October 19 to 25. It is the second year in a row Zheng has missed Wuhan: she pulled out of the 2025 event after returning from elbow surgery.
Who is left. Sabalenka, a three-time Wuhan champion, is the highest-ranked player in the field and the only former champion in it. No. 2 seed Jessica Pegula, last year’s finalist, also has a bye. World No. 1 Elena Rybakina, defending champion Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova pulled out last week. GTN covered those withdrawals, and the draw breakdown sets out each quarter. The final is on Sunday, October 18, and the champion receives 1,000 ranking points and $665,000. The Wuhan Open Guide covers the venue, format and past champions.
