China's Zheng Qinwen claims the women's singles title at the 2026 China Open on October 11, 2026, defeating Russia's Mirra Andreeva in the final. Playing in front of her home crowd, the Paris Olympic champion delivered a resilient performance to capture her maiden WTA 1000 title. Photo: Cui Meng/Global Times

Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen has withdrawn from the 2026 Wuhan Open due to a right shoulder injury, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) announced on Monday, just a day after the 24-year-old became the first Chinese player to win the China Open women's singles title.

"I'm very sorry to share that I will be withdrawing from this year's Wuhan Open," Zheng said in a statement released by the WTA. "Wuhan is where my tennis dream began, and the Wuhan Open is also where I made my breakthrough at the WTA 1000 level. I have always looked forward to competing in front of my hometown fans."

Zheng cited the physical toll of a demanding stretch of matches since returning from injury, having competed at the US Open, the Billie Jean King Cup and the China Open in quick succession. 

"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 onto the court in my best possible form."

The Wuhan Open organizing committee expressed understanding and respect for Zheng's decision, calling her "the pride of Hubei and Wuhan" and wishing her a swift return to the court in top form.

The withdrawal came less than 24 hours after one of the most emotional victories of Zheng's career. 

On Sunday night at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, the wild card defeated Russia's Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 to become the first Chinese player to win the China Open women's singles title, a historic victory that instantly dominated Chinese social media and boosted her commercial value.

The tennis ace told the Global Times on Sunday that she was hungry for more achievements in her career during an interview after the match.

"I'm really happy I made the first steps. For me, there's still more to come. I'm so hungry honestly for what's going to come in the next phase of my career because I know my potential, and I don't want to have a regret the day that I retire from tennis. I just want to give everything that I have in my tennis career," Zheng told the Global Times.

Moments after securing her maiden WTA 1000 crown, the hashtag "Zheng Qinwen shares photos celebrating championship" claimed the top spot on Sina Weibo on Monday.

Netizens flooded her account with congratulatory messages. Zheng shared several photos of herself holding aloft the China Open trophy and wrote a reflective note: "The weight of this trophy is the weight of my dreams. This is dedicated to the little girl who chased her dream relentlessly."

The landmark victory triggered wide-ranging discussions about Zheng's growing commercial clout. The triumph earned her 1,000 ranking points, lifting her global standing to world No.23 and securing her a seeded position for 2027's Australian Open. She also took home around $1.15 million in prize money.

On-court success drives commercial value. According to incomplete statistics, Zheng currently holds more than 10 long-term endorsement deals. Forbes' previously released 2026 global tennis player earnings list ranked her seventh with $22.6 million, including $22 million in off-court sponsorship income, making her the only Chinese player in the top 10, the Beijing Daily reported.

Zheng's soaring market appeal also spilled over from online discussion into real world consumer frenzy. A milk tea brand, for which Zheng serves as global brand ambassador, introduced a site-wide "buy one get one free" promotion on Monday to mark her championship. Consumer traffic surged so sharply that the brand's shopping platform crashed for a period during the morning rush as hordes of customers attempted to place orders simultaneously..