Zheng Qinwen serves at the French Open on June 3, 2025 in Paris, France. Photo: VCG

China's tennis ace Zheng Qinwen is set to play at the WTA 500 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan, which will be held from October 20 to 26, according to announcements made by the tournament organizers. Meanwhile, the 2025 China Open announced its doubles field, which will feature several Grand Slam champions alongside top Chinese players.

Zheng is the defending champion in Tokyo, where she lifted the trophy in 2024 to claim her first career title at the event. In July, Zheng revealed on social media that she had ­undergone arthroscopic ­surgery on her right elbow and has since been focused on rehabilitation.

"I'm in a recovery phase now and have started training with some intensity, but I think it will still take some time before I'm fully back," Zheng told media recently.

"The WTA 500 level is slightly less intense than a WTA 1000 event, but the ­competition remains fierce and it's a good stage to test her recovery," Guo Ai, a ­Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times on Monday.

"Given that Zheng herself admitted she's not yet at 100 percent, consecutive matches could still pose a challenge for her elbow," Guo noted, adding that Zheng is now firmly established in the world's top 10, and short-term fluctuations in ranking are not a major concern. 

According to Guo, the priority is to stay healthy in order to remain competitive at the Grand Slam level. "If she rushes her comeback, she risks another injury."

Last week, Zheng was also listed among the entrants for the 2025 Wuhan Open, a WTA 1000 tournament, which is to be played from October 4 to 12. The tournament organizers have released the first batch of 43 players directly accepted into the main draw, featuring 11 Grand Slam singles champions, including current world No.1 and defending Wuhan champion Aryna Sabalenka. 

Zheng and Chinese player Wang Xinyu both qualified directly for the 2025 Wuhan Open based on their world rankings. At the 2024 edition, Zheng finished runner-up while Wang reached the semifinals, marking their career-best results at a WTA 1000 tournament.

Apart from the tournaments in which Zheng will participate, the women's doubles field for the 2025 China Open was announced on Sunday. A total of 24 pairs have earned direct acceptance, including all four reigning Grand Slam ­champion teams and the ­current top four-ranked doubles pairs. The lineup also features Chinese standouts Zhang Shuai, Xu Yifan, Yang Zhaoxuan, Guo Hanyu and Jiang Xinyu.

Zhang remains the highest-ranked Chinese mainland player in doubles. Although she has not had a consistent partner this season, she will reunite with former partner Kristina Mladenovic in Beijing. The pair previously captured the Abu Dhabi title earlier this year and reached the US Open final last season.

This tournament will be held from September 22 to October 5.

"Today, team China, both singles and doubles, features multiple players making deep runs at major tournaments," Guo said. "This kind of 'multi-front progress' reflects a healthier stage of development for Chinese tennis."