For Zheng Qinwen, things were finally beginning to fall into place after she became the first Chinese woman to win the China Open. The historic victory gave her home fans plenty to celebrate after a difficult period marked by injuries and a slide in the rankings. But the celebrations have been short-lived. Soon after her title run, Zheng withdrew from the Wuhan Open, and she has now delivered another disappointing update to her fans.

The Chinese star will miss the upcoming WTA 250 Kinoshita Group Japan Open in Osaka because of a persistent shoulder injury. Scheduled to run from October 19 to 25, the tournament will now go ahead without Zheng, marking her second consecutive withdrawal after she pulled out of Wuhan earlier this week. Japanese fans will therefore have to wait longer for a chance to see the former Olympic champion compete in Osaka.

Zheng’s demanding China Open campaign may have contributed to the physical toll. She spent more than 15 hours on court across seven matches in Beijing, the most time recorded by any player at a tournament this year and the highest total since Opta began tracking the statistic in 2023. After such a gruelling run, the Chinese star appears to have little choice but to prioritise her recovery.

“Since returning from injury, 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,” Zheng said in a statement after withdrawing from Wuhan. “My body is feeling very fatigued after this intense run of matches,” she added.

Zheng’s withdrawal was a disappointment for her fans, especially after the impressive tennis she produced in Beijing. Entering the China Open as a wild card, the Chinese star went on to claim her maiden WTA 1000 title.

However, her path to the trophy was far from straightforward. Zheng battled through four consecutive three-set matches before raising her level in the closing rounds. She defeated Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, Elise Mertens in the semifinals and Mirra Andreeva in the final, beating the Russian 7-5, 6-4 to seal the title.

The triumph carried extra significance after the difficult months Zheng had endured. An elbow injury and subsequent surgery disrupted her season, affecting both her time on court and her ranking. Her China Open victory offered a welcome sign of progress, making her latest withdrawal all the more frustrating for her and her supporters.

She entered the US Open at No. 121 in the PIF WTA Rankings after returning through qualifying. However, her results have improved greatly since then.

Since the start of the US Open, Zheng has won 14 of her last 15 matches. Her only loss during this period came against Elena Rybakina. Her ranking has also improved by 98 places, taking her to No. 23 in less than two months.

With the Japan Open no longer on her schedule, Zheng will now focus on recovering from her shoulder injury. Her recent results show that she can compete with some of the best players again. However, she will also need to manage her fitness to maintain this level.

Zheng Qinwen is currently scheduled to play at the WTA 250 Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open next month. It is one of the final two tournaments on the calendar before the WTA Finals at Indian Wells. However, she may have to change her plans again, depending on how quickly she recovers.

Zheng’s latest setback shows how difficult it can be to regain form while dealing with physical problems.

For now, her main goal is to recover properly instead of rushing back to the court. After producing one of the best runs of her career in Beijing, can Zheng recover in time to end the season on a strong note?