Zheng Qinwen Photo: VCG

The women's singles draw for the 2025 China Open was held on Monday, with tournament organizers announcing that China's tennis ace Zheng Qinwen is among the entrants. The tournament will mark Zheng's first appearance since undergoing elbow surgery after Wimbledon earlier this year. 

This year's China Open features a star-studded field. With world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka withdrawing, the rest of the world's top 10 players are all set to compete. 

Seeded in the draw, Zheng receives a first-round bye and will open her campaign in the second round against the winner of the match between China's Wang Yafan and Dutch player Arianne Hartono. As one of the top eight seeds, Zheng has been placed in the same section as rising Russian player Mirra Andreeva.

At the 2024 China Open, Zheng reached the semifinals before falling to Czech star Karolina Muchova. She suffered an injury in the first set and fell to the ground. 

After exiting in the first round at Wimbledon, Zheng underwent arthroscopic surgery on her elbow. Following two months of rehabilitation, she recently returned to training on court. Due to the injury layoff, Zheng missed several events and dropped two places in the latest WTA rankings, falling to world No.9.

"The first-round bye, followed by a second-round match against a non-top seed, could serve as a valuable buffer for Zheng," Beijing-based sports commentator Guo Ai told the Global Times on Monday.

Guo noted out that given her recent return from injury and the packed schedule of the WTA 500 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and the 2025 Wuhan Open in the following months, Zheng's form and fitness remain uncertain, making every match a potential indicator of her trajectory.

"She will need to manage her rest and training more carefully to minimize the risk of injury from consecutive high-intensity matches," Guo added.

Another Chinese player, Wang Xinyu, enters the China Open as the 31st seed. Also receiving a first-round bye, Wang will face either China's Zhang Shuai or a qualifier in the second round. In the third round, she is projected to meet a tough challenge in US player Amanda Anisimova, the Wimbledon and US Open runner-up this year.

Besides the women's singles, the men's singles qualifying round is set to get underway on Tuesday, with China's Wu Yibing, Zhou Yi and Hong Kong player Coleman Wong receiving wild cards.

Wu is the first player from the Chinese mainland to win a men's singles match in a Grand Slam main draw and the first to capture an ATP Tour men's singles title. This season, he has gradually shaken off the effects of injury, reaching the round of 16 at the Washington Open. In September, he kicked off with a strong start, bringing his ranking back into the world top 200. The China Open 2025 will mark his first appearance at the event since 2018.

Zhou has made strides this season, reaching his first ATP Challenger final in Tyler, the US. Following the US Open, he helped Team China secure a place in the Davis Cup World Group I Playoffs. This will mark his third straight appearance at the China Open.

The main draw of the China Open will be staged from September 24 to October 5 at the China National Tennis Center in Beijing.