Chinese Female Tennis Players 2023: Breaking Barriers and Making History

Tennis has gained immense popularity in China over the years, and Chinese female tennis players have been making their presence felt on the global stage. These players have broken barriers, defied odds, and made history with their incredible performances. In this article, we will take a closer look at some of the most famous Chinese female tennis players and their achievements.

Top Chinese Female Tennis Players 2023

Peng Shuai

Name: Peng Shuai

Date of birth: January 8, 1986

Place of birth: Hunan, China

Current residence: Beijing, China

Year of professional competition: 2001

Peng Shuai is a retired Chinese professional tennis player who reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 14 and a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 1. Peng turned pro in 2001 and was known for her powerful groundstrokes and net play.

Peng achieved notable success in doubles, winning two Grand Slam titles, the 2013 Wimbledon Championships and the 2014 French Open, with her partner Hsieh Su-wei. Peng also won a total of 22 WTA doubles titles during her career.

In singles, Peng’s best Grand Slam result came at the 2014 US Open, where she reached the semifinals, defeating players such as Agnieszka Radwańska and Lucie Šafářová. Peng also won four WTA singles titles during her career.

Off the court, Peng is known for her philanthropic work and has been actively involved in promoting tennis in China. She has also been a vocal advocate for women’s rights and gender equality in sports.

Li Na

Name: Li Na

Date of birth: February 26, 1982

Place of birth: Wuhan, China

Current residence: Wuhan, ChinaYear of

professional competition: 1999-2014

Li Na is a retired tennis player who was the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam singles title. She turned pro in 1999 and was known for her aggressive playing style and powerful groundstrokes.

Li achieved notable success in singles, winning two Grand Slam titles, the 2011 French Open and the 2014 Australian Open. She also reached the finals of the 2013 Australian Open and the 2013 WTA Tour Championships.

Off the court, Li is known for her humor and wit, which made her a popular figure in the media. She has also been actively involved in promoting tennis in China and was appointed as the global ambassador for the Special Olympics in 2013.

Zheng Jie

Name: Zheng Jie

Date of birth: July 5, 1983

Place of birth: Chengdu, China

Current residence: Guangzhou, China

Year of professional competition: 2003-2016

Zheng Jie is a retired tennis player who reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 15 and a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 3. She turned pro in 2003 and was known for her consistency and all-court game.

Zheng achieved notable success in doubles, winning the 2006 Wimbledon Championships and the 2006 WTA Tour Championships, both with her partner Yan Zi. She also won a total of 15 WTA doubles titles during her career.

In singles, Zheng’s best Grand Slam result came at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, where she reached the semifinals, defeating players such as Ana Ivanovic and Nicole Vaidišová. Zheng also won four WTA singles titles during her career.

Off the court, Zheng is known for her calm and composed demeanor, which earned her the nickname “Jie Jie” (Big Sister) among her peers. She has also been actively involved in promoting tennis in China and was appointed as the ambassador for the China Open in 2017.

Yan Zi

Name: Yan Zi

Date of birth: November 12, 1984

Place of birth: Xi’an, ChinaYear of

professional competition: 2002-2011

Yan Zi is a retired Chinese professional tennis player who was known for her success in doubles. She began playing tennis at the age of six and turned pro in 2002. Throughout her career, she won three Grand Slam doubles titles and reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 in doubles.

Yan’s first major title came in 2005, where she and her doubles partner, Zheng Jie, won the Australian Open doubles title. The duo went on to win two more Grand Slam doubles titles at Wimbledon in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2010. Yan also won several WTA doubles titles throughout her career.

After retiring from professional tennis in 2011, Yan went on to coach the Chinese women’s national tennis team. She also worked as a tennis commentator for CCTV5 in China.

Sun Tiantian

Name: Sun Tiantian

Date of birth: October 12, 1981

Place of birth: Dandong, China

Year of professional competition: 2000-2012

Sun Tiantian is a retired Chinese professional tennis player who was known for her success in doubles. She began playing tennis at the age of six and turned pro in 2000. Throughout her career, she won one Grand Slam doubles title and reached a career-high ranking of No. 9 in doubles.

Sun’s biggest accomplishment came at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she and her doubles partner, Li Ting, won the gold medal in doubles. The duo defeated the Spanish pair Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in the final.

Sun also won several WTA doubles titles throughout her career, including the Guangzhou Open in 2005 and the Kolkata Open in 2006.

Zhang Shuai

Name: Zhang Shuai

Date of birth: January 21, 1989

Place of birth: Tianjin, China

Current residence: Shenzhen, China

Year of professional competition: 2006-present

Zhang Shuai is one of the Chinese female tennis players who is currently ranked No. 51 in the world in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). She began playing tennis at the age of six and turned pro in 2006. Throughout her career, she has won two WTA singles titles and 19 WTA doubles titles.

Zhang’s breakthrough year came in 2016, where she reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open as a qualifier, defeating players such as Madison Keys and Simona Halep en route. She also reached the quarterfinals of the US Open later that year.

Off the court, Zhang is known for her love of cooking and has shared several of her favorite recipes on social media.

Li Ting

Name: Li Ting

Date of birth: January 26, 1980

Place of birth: Shanghai, China

Year of professional competition: 1997

Li Ting is a retired Chinese professional tennis player who was a doubles specialist. She turned pro in 1997 and achieved her career-high ranking of world No. 2 in doubles in 2007. She won nine WTA doubles titles, including the 2004 WTA Tour Championships with Sun Tiantian, and reached the finals of three Grand Slam tournaments.

Li Ting is perhaps best known for winning the women’s doubles gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics with Sun Tiantian, becoming the first Chinese tennis players to win an Olympic gold medal. She also won a silver medal in mixed doubles at the 2004 Olympics with Yan Zi.

Since retiring from professional tennis, Li Ting has worked as a tennis commentator and coach. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2021.

Zheng Saisai

Name: Zheng Saisai

Date of birth: February 5, 1994

Place of birth: Shaanxi, China

Current residence: Shanghai, China

Year of professional competition: 2009

Zheng Saisai is currently ranked world No. 61 in singles and world No. 63 in doubles by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). She turned pro in 2009 and has won two WTA singles titles and one WTA doubles title.

Zheng’s best Grand Slam performance came at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, where she reached the third round in singles and the quarterfinals in doubles. She also represented China at the 2016 Rio Olympics in both singles and doubles.

Off the court, Zheng is known for her interest in fashion and has been featured in various Chinese fashion magazines. She is also actively involved in charity work, particularly in promoting education and tennis for children in underprivileged areas.

Wang Qiang

Name: Wang Qiang

Date of birth: January 14, 1992

Place of birth: Tianjin, China

Current residence: Beijing, China

Year of professional competition: 2006

Wang Qiang is a Chinese professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 49 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). She began playing tennis at the age of six and turned pro in 2006. Wang has won four WTA singles titles and one WTA doubles title.

Wang’s breakthrough year came in 2018, where she reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinals at the US Open, defeating players such as Elise Mertens and Karolína Plíšková en route. She also reached the finals of the Guangzhou Open and the Hong Kong Tennis Open that year. Wang continued to perform well in 2019, where she reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the French Open.

Off the court, Wang is known for her love of fashion and has walked the runway for fashion designer Jason Wu during New York Fashion Week. She has also been featured in various fashion magazines and has been hailed as one of the most fashionable tennis players on the WTA tour.

Wang Yafan

Name: Wang Yafan

Date of birth: April 30, 1994

Place of birth: Nanjing, China

Current residence: Beijing, China

Year of professional competition: 2012

Wang Yafan is a Chinese professional tennis player who turned pro in 2012. She has won one WTA singles title and reached a career-high ranking of world No. 47 in singles in 2019.

Wang’s biggest achievement to date came at the 2019 Silicon Valley Classic, where she won her first WTA singles title. She defeated players such as Kristina Mladenovic and Zheng Saisai en route to the final, where she defeated Anna Blinkova in straight sets. Wang also reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 French Open, where she lost to Johanna Konta.

Xu Yifan

Name: Xu Yifan

Date of birth: August 8, 1988

Place of birth: Tianjin, China

Current residence: Beijing, China

Year of professional competition: 2006

Xu Yifan is one of the few Chinese female tennis players who has won 20 WTA doubles titles in her career. She reached her career-high ranking of world No. 4 in doubles in 2019.

Xu has won several prestigious doubles titles in her career, including the 2016 WTA Finals and the 2019 Australian Open. She has also reached the finals of several other Grand Slam tournaments, including the 2017 French Open and the 2018 US Open.

Duan Yingying

Name: Duan Yingying

Date of birth: July 3, 1989

Place of birth: Tianjin, China

Current residence: Shenzhen, China

Year of professional competition: 2006

Duan Yingying is a Chinese professional tennis player who turned pro in 2006. She has won one WTA singles title and four WTA doubles titles in her career. She reached her career-high ranking of world No. 60 in singles in 2017.

Duan’s biggest achievement to date came at the 2017 Biyuan Cup Guangzhou International Women’s Open, where she won her first WTA singles title. She defeated Stefanie Voegele in straight sets in the final. She has also reached the third round of the Australian Open twice, in 2016 and 2019.

Han Xinyun

Name: Han Xinyun

Date of birth: November 21, 1990

Place of birth: Ningbo, China

Current residence: Shenzhen, China

Year of professional competition: 2006

Han Xinyun is one of the few Chinese female tennis players who turned pro in 2006. She has won one WTA doubles title in her career and reached her career-high ranking of world No. 50 in doubles in 2019.

Han has had success primarily in doubles, where she has won several ITF titles and reached the finals of several WTA tournaments. She won her first and only WTA doubles title at the 2016 Guangzhou Open, where she and her partner Christina McHale defeated Shuko Aoyama and Yang Zhaoxuan in the final.

Lu Jingjing

Name: Lu Jingjing

Date of birth: July 17, 1989

Place of birth: Guangzhou, China

Current residence: Guangzhou, China

Year of professional competition: 2008

Lu Jingjing has had a successful career on the doubles circuit. She began playing tennis at the age of six and turned pro in 2008. Throughout her career, she has won seven WTA doubles titles and reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 35 in 2018.

Lu’s most successful year came in 2017 when she won three WTA doubles titles with three different partners. She also reached the quarterfinals of the French Open that year. Lu has had success playing with various partners, including fellow Chinese player Zhang Shuai and American player Nicole Melichar.

Off the court, Lu is known for her philanthropic work. She has been involved with various charitable organizations, including the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, which works to improve the lives of underprivileged children in China.

Yang Zhaoxuan

Name: Yang Zhaoxuan

Date of birth: February 11, 1995

Place of birth: Wuhan, China

Current residence: Wuhan, China

Year of professional competition: 2013

Yang Zhaoxuan is a Chinese professional tennis player who primarily competes in doubles. She began playing tennis at the age of six and turned pro in 2013. Throughout her career, she has won five WTA doubles titles and reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 30 in 2019.

Yang’s most successful year came in 2019 when she won four WTA doubles titles with her partner, Chinese player Wang Yafan. They also reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open that year. Yang has had success playing with various partners, including American player Nicole Melichar and fellow Chinese player Duan Yingying.

Off the court, Yang enjoys listening to music and watching movies. She has also been involved in various charitable activities, including volunteering with children’s organizations in her hometown of Wuhan.

Read more:

• Spanish Female Tennis Players 2023: A Legacy of Champions
• Top Hot Female Tennis Players

Other Chinese Female Tennis Players

Bi Ying	Liu Nannan	Wei Sijia
Chen Jiahui	Liu Shaozhuo	Xie Yanze
Chen Jingjing	Liu Wanting	Xu Shilin
Chen Li	Liu Weijuan	Xun Fangying
Chen Yanchong	Liu Yanni	Yang Shujing
Ding Ding	Lu Jiajing	Yang Zi
Feng Shuo	Ma Yexin	Ye Qiuyu
Gao Xinyu	Ma Shuyue	Yi Jingqian
Guo Hanyu	Ren Jing	You Xiaodi
Guo Meiqi	Sheng Yuqi	Yu Liqiao
Guo Shanshan	Song Shanshan	Yu Ying
Hao Jie	Sun Shengnan	Yuan Meng
Hu Yueyue	Sun Tiantian	Yuan Yue
Huang Lei	Sun Xuliu	Zhang Kailin
Ji Chunmei	Sun Ziyue	Zhang Ying
Jiang Xinyu	Tang Haochen	Zhang Yuxuan
Kang Jiaqi	Lisa Tang	Zhao Yijing
Li Fang	Tang Min	Zheng Qinwen
Li Li	Tang Qianhui	Zheng Saisai
Li Xinyi	Tian Ran	Zheng Wushuang
Li Yihong	Wang Danni	Zhong Ni
Li Yixuan	Wang Meiling	Zhou Yimiao
Liang Chen	Wang Xinyu	Zhu Aiwen
Liu Chang	Wang Xiyu	Zhu Lin
Liu Fangzhou	Wang Yan	Zhu Zhenzhen

Conclusion

Chinese female tennis players have proven themselves to be among the best in the world, with numerous Grand Slam titles and other accolades to their names. From Li Na’s trailblazing career to the current success of players like Wang Qiang and Zhang Shuai, these athletes have shown that hard work and determination can lead to greatness. As the sport continues to grow in China, Pro Tennis News can expect to see even more talented players emerge in the years to come.