Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 12: China's Zheng Qinwen and Russia's Mirra Andreeva have withdrawn from the Wuhan Open after contesting the China Open final in Beijing, with Zheng citing a right shoulder injury and Andreeva opting out due to a change in schedule.
Zheng defeated Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 on Sunday to become the first Chinese player to win the China Open. The victory also earned her maiden WTA 1000 title and her first singles crown since winning in Tokyo in 2024.
However, the triumph came after a demanding stretch of matches for the Chinese star, who returned to competition following an injury layoff before featuring at the US Open, the Billie Jean King Cup and the Beijing tournament.
Announcing her withdrawal, Zheng said the accumulated workload had left her physically fatigued.
"I'm very sorry to share that I will be withdrawing from this year's Wuhan Open," Zheng said, as quoted 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.
"Since returning from injury, however, I have played a demanding stretch of tennis over the past months 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. I look forward to returning to the Wuhan Open next year and stepping on to the court in my best possible form," she added.
The withdrawals have led to changes in the Wuhan Open singles draw. American teenager Iva Jovic, the next eligible seeded player to receive a bye, will replace Andreeva at Line 17 and advance directly to the second round.
Anna Bondar, entering the tournament as a lucky loser, will take Jovic's original place in the draw and face Mia Pohankova on Monday.
Zheng's vacancy will be filled by lucky loser Camila Osorio, who is scheduled to take on Ann Li in the opening round on Tuesday.
Zheng's China Open triumph has significantly improved her ranking prospects following an impressive resurgence in recent months. Having stood at No. 160 in mid-June, she is projected to climb to No. 23 in the latest rankings after reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open and winning the Beijing title.
The Chinese player has also won 13 of her last 14 tour-level matches since suffering a qualifying defeat in Toronto, highlighting the consistency of her recent return to form.
For Andreeva, the runner-up finish in Beijing marked her fifth final of the 2026 season. The Russian has won three of those finals, lifting titles in Adelaide, Linz and at Roland Garros.
She will now turn her attention to the season-ending WTA Finals, scheduled to take place in Indian Wells in mid-November.