China Open champion Zheng withdraws from Wuhan Open citing fatigue
Zheng Qinwen, fresh from winning the China Open, has pulled out of the Wuhan Open due to fatigue. The 24-year-old cited a demanding schedule since returning from injury. She joins several top players, including Mirra Andreeva, in skipping the tournament.
Zheng Qinwen, who became the first Chinese player to win the China Open on Sunday, has withdrawn from this year's Wuhan Open, citing fatigue after a demanding stretch of matches.
Zheng defeated reigning Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in the Beijing final, securing her first WTA 1000-level title and her first trophy since winning in Tokyo two years ago.
"I'm very sorry to share that I will be withdrawing from this year's Wuhan Open," Zheng said in a statement. "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.
"Since returning from injury, however, I have played a demanding stretch of tennis over the past month and a half, competing 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."
The Olympic gold medallist from Paris 2024 and former world number four underwent elbow surgery last year and missed nearly eight months of action, dropping as low as 160 in the rankings this season. The 24-year-old has enjoyed a resurgence in recent weeks, reaching the US Open quarter-finals before lifting the trophy in Beijing.
Zheng is now ranked back among the world's top 25 but will not pick up any points in Wuhan, which begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, October 18.
Beijing runner-up Andreeva has also withdrawn from Wuhan, citing a change of schedule, as the Russian teenager looks to rest ahead of her first singles appearance at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells next month. Zheng and Andreeva join a growing list of high-profile absentees that includes world number one Elena Rybakina, last year's Wuhan champion Coco Gauff and reigning Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.