Former world No.2 and two-time major champion Li Na set a lofty benchmark for Chinese tennis players following in her footsteps.
Almost a decade since the second of her two triumphs, at Australian Open 2014, China’s hopes of finding a successor to trailblazer Li are creeping cautiously higher – and the women no longer have to carry that burden alone.
Zheng Qinwen, who will represent Team China alongside Zhang Zhizhen at United Cup 2024, was optimistic about the current Chinese generation emerging in the sport.
"Especially I started to play better last year and I start to see more and more players, they want to arrive in the higher level. Because I think they really believe that they can do it. Of course they can do it,” she said.
“We are working hard... I think everybody will be able, has the potential, to do that.
“I'm really happy to see those men, they are getting better and better, and also to break all the records -- break for the top 100, and another one break the top 50, and then won the Asian Games, and won the first 250. They were all big achievements for them.
“And also in girls, we have a lot of girls ready to play the Australian Open. I'm so happy to see this kind of atmosphere from China.”
Beginning with Chinese No.1 Zheng, we look at which Chinese players could make an impact at AO 2024.
Zheng Qinwen
Charismatic and clean-striking Zheng Qinwen is a star on the rise.
The 21-year-old began last year outside the top 100 but surged to world No.25 to collect the 2022 WTA Newcomer of the Year award.
By her own admission, Zheng did not live up to her own expectations through the opening half of 2023 until a small but significant breakthrough after Wimbledon – her first career title in Palermo.
Her progress was marked upon the shift to hard courts. Zheng knocked out fifth seed Ons Jabeur at the US Open for her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, won the Asian Games gold medal and picked up her second tour title in the WTA 500 event in Zhengzhou.
Following her run to the WTA Elite Trophy final in Zhuhai, Zheng became just the fifth Chinese woman to crack the top 15.
Wang Xinyu
While yet to attract the same hype as her top-20 countrywoman, Wang Xinyu has also made impressive gains in 2023, halving her ranking to a career-best world No.33.
Daughter of the ex-Fed Cup captain and a former women’s basketballer, Wang’s sporting pedigree is strong, and she also broke into the top 20 in doubles following her surprise trophy run with Hsieh Su-wei at Roland Garros.
Her strongest results came on hard courts, with semifinals in Hua Hin and Osaka – both times falling to compatriot Zhu Lin – and at the US Open, where she notched a fourth-round appearance at a major for the first time.
Zhu Lin
Buoyed after outlasting Venus Williams in a lengthy showdown en route to the Auckland quarterfinals, Lin brought that confidence to Melbourne Park at AO 2023.
In what she conceded was a long time coming, the 28-year-old sprung her first win over a top-10 opponent when she upset sixth seed Maria Sakkari for her maiden fourth-round berth at a major in January.
While she narrowly came up short against Victoria Azarenka, Zhu went on to snare her first tour title in Hua Hin a fortnight later.
She then avenged her defeat to Azarenka to make the third round at Flushing Meadows.
Zhang Zhizhen
As Zheng Qinwen pointed out, Chinese men are developing into genuine contenders on bigger stages.
Zhang Zhizhen has shared a friendly rivalry with Wu Yibing in recent seasons and in July, Zhang claimed bragging rights as the highest-ranked Chinese man in history when he climbed to world No.52.
READ MORE: History-making Zhang Zhizhen part of Chinese charge
With former Chinese Taipei pro Lu Yen-Hsun in his corner, the powerful ball-striker made history in the second round at this year’s US Open when he crunched 59 winners to stun Casper Ruud in five sets – the first Chinese man to beat a top-five player since rankings began.
He had already become the first Chinese man to reach a Masters 1000 quarterfinal in Madrid.
The 27-year-old later built on his Flushing Meadows milestone, reaching the fourth round at the Shanghai Masters and claiming gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Best of the rest
For the first time in WTA history, three Chinese women landed singles titles in the same season. Following Zheng and Lin, the left-handed Wang Xiyu triumphed on home soil in Guangzhou in September, beating top seed Magda Linette in the final.
Knocking on the door of a top-50 debut mid-year, Wu Yibing was on a roll in the first half of 2023. The 24-year-old held off John Isner to become the first Chinese man in the Open Era to land an ATP title in Dallas in February. At the time he surpassed Zhang to become the first man from his country to break into the top 60 but has since slid just outside the top 100, having not played since the US Open.
Yuan Yue posted top-30 wins in consecutive weeks, first over Elise Mertens at the China Open then Marie Bouzkova in Seoul, where she reached her first tour final. While she fell short against Jessica Pegula, the result was enough to lift the 24-year-old back inside the top 100.
Former world No.1 junior Shang Juncheng made history in January when he qualified for the Australian Open and beat Oscar Otte in the opening round to become the first Chinese man to win a Grand Slam main draw match. The US-based 18-year-old, nicknamed Jerry, qualified for his second straight major at Roland Garros and scored back-to-back wins over Ben Shelton in Atlanta and Washington in the US swing.
A top-50 player four years ago, Wang Yafan returned to the top 100 after qualifying for the US Open, where she upset seventh seed Caroline Garcia in the first round. The 29-year-old is one of seven Chinese women in the top 100.