BEIJING - The women's singles main draw of the 2025 China Open kicked off on Wednesday, with 36-year-old Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai rallying past Russian qualifier Anastasia Zakharova 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the second round.
Zakharova started strong and took the opening set, but Zhang responded with three breaks in the second set to level the match. In the decider, Zhang missed three match points but eventually sealed the victory.
"There's no easy win on the professional tour, especially at my age. Without extraordinary effort, it's impossible to win any match," Zhang said courtside.
"Today, I think it's the toughest match of the year. Since this year's beginning, I haven't played many singles tournaments, only one tournament per month. So that's why I'm still very excited on the court, very excited to come back to the home tournament, very excited to play on Diamond Court," she added.
"We both play really fast and early. That's great tennis. I like tennis like this very much. Three sets, two hours."
In the next round, Zhang will face compatriot Wang Xinyu, who enjoyed a first-round bye. Looking ahead, Zhang stressed that self-breakthrough remains her biggest motivation. "To me, it's no different compared to any other matches. I will do my best. I will try to be myself, to show 100 percent to the crowd."
Elsewhere, 17-year-old Chinese wildcard Zhang Ruien bowed out in her debut, losing 1-6, 0-6 to Germany's Eva Lys. Another Chinese wildcard Shi Han also fell in the first round, losing 2-6, 6-7(5) to McCartney Kessler of the United States.
On Thursday, China's Zhu Lin, Yuan Yue, Wang Yafan and Wei Sijia will feature in first-round action, while Wang Xiyu will take on Guo Hanyu in an all-Chinese encounter.
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In the men's singles, world No. 2 Jannik Sinner will meet former US Open champion Marin Cilic, while China's Zhang Zhizhen will face French qualifier Terence Atmane. In the doubles, China's Bu Yunchaokete will partner Britain's Cameron Norrie to play against Alexander Zverev and Marcelo Melo.
