Zheng Qinwen finally had a reason to celebrate after months of frustration on the tennis court. She won the China Open in Beijing on Oct. 11, became the first Chinese player to lift the WTA 1000 trophy, and climbed back into the world’s top 25 (No. 23). But the celebrations have given way to another setback. The Olympic champion has now withdrawn from three consecutive tournaments after her title run, with a continued shoulder injury and physical fatigue forcing her to pull back.
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The latest blow came on Oct. 19, when Zheng withdrew from the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, scheduled for October 31 to November 8. She had been announced as a participant just six days earlier and was set to make her debut at the Victoria Park tournament. In her withdrawal statement, Zheng apologized to fans and explained why she needed to step away.
“I am very sorry to share that I will be unable to compete in the upcoming Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open,” said Zheng (via DotDotNews). “After a long and intensive schedule over the past few weeks, I need to listen to the warning signs from my body and take the necessary precautions.”
Zheng also expressed disappointment at missing the chance to play in Hong Kong for the first time: “I was really looking forward to competing in HK for the first time, having heard so many positive things about the tournament. I wish this year’s event every success and hope to visit HK in 2027.”
The Hong Kong withdrawal follows her decisions to skip the Wuhan Open and the Kinoshita Group Japan Open in Osaka. Zheng first pulled out of Wuhan after her China Open triumph, citing a right shoulder injury and fatigue. She then missed the Japan Open the following week because of the continued shoulder problem. Hong Kong is now the third consecutive event she has had to give up, despite her recent return to winning form.
The timing is particularly frustrating because Zheng had worked hard to rebuild her season after a difficult spell. She underwent surgery on her right elbow in July 2025 and spent nearly three months away from competition before returning at the 2025 China Open in September. However, she retired in the third round with pain in the right elbow. That was followed by early exits at the 2026 French Open and Wimbledon, but she found her rhythm at the US Open, where she came through qualifying to reach the quarterfinals.
That run carried into Beijing, where Zheng produced the biggest result of her comeback. She defeated Mirra Andreeva 7-5, 6-4 in the final to claim her first WTA 1000 title. The victory was historic, but it also came after an exhausting week: Zheng spent 15 hours and 15 minutes on court across seven matches, the highest total at any tournament in 2026. Her first four matches all went to three sets.
After withdrawing from Wuhan, Zheng had already described the toll the stretch had taken. “Since returning from injury, however, 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. My body is feeling very fatigued after this intense run of matches,” she said in a statement.
Her results had been moving in the right direction. Zheng won 14 of her 15 matches from the start of the US Open through her China Open title, with her only defeat coming against Elena Rybakina. She rose from No. 121 before the US Open to No. 23 after Beijing. For a player who had dropped as low as No. 160 earlier in the season, the climb was a major step forward. Now, the priority is giving her body time to recover rather than adding another tournament to an already demanding comeback.
Belinda Bencic and Leylah Fernandez Set to Compete in Hong Kong
With Zheng out, the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open will still feature two notable names: Last year’s No. 1 seed Belinda Bencic and Leylah Fernandez. Tournament organisers confirmed that the Swiss star and the Canadian will take part in the WTA 250 event at Victoria Park. Their inclusion gives the field two players with strong records on the tour, including a former Olympic champion and a former Hong Kong Open winner.
Bencic, currently ranked No. 12 in the world, won the women’s singles gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and has reached a career-high ranking of No. 4. She also made the Wimbledon semifinals in 2025 after returning to the tour following maternity leave. Her presence gives the Hong Kong field a top-ranked player with a major international title to her name. And she has redemption on her mind after withdrawing from the quarterfinal last year with a thigh injury.
Fernandez arrives with a more direct connection to the tournament: she won the Hong Kong Open in 2023. The Canadian also reached the US Open final in 2021 and has continued to add titles to her record. In September 2026, she won the Singapore Open, defeating Talia Gibson 7-5, 6-0 in the final to claim the sixth WTA singles title of her career.
The tournament runs from October 31 to November 8, and Zheng had been expected to make her first appearance there after her China Open breakthrough. Her withdrawal changes the story around the event, but Bencic and Fernandez give fans other compelling reasons to follow the draw. For Zheng, the focus now shifts to recovery after a comeback that delivered a historic title but has also exposed how much the past few weeks have demanded from her body.