Titles, breakthroughs and young guns on the rise — China had plenty to cheer about on the tennis court in 2023

Delivering unprecedented collective success, Chinese tennis enjoyed its greatest year on the pro circuits in 2023.

Combining for five tour-level singles trophies, nine players in the world's top 100, a double of Asian Games titles, and a succession of milestones — Chinese tennis had plenty to cheer about over the past 12 months on the ATP and WTA circuits, with the rise of the country's men's aces grabbing the attention of the tennis world.

Leading the charge was 58th-ranked Zhang Zhizhen, who produced a series of breakthrough runs on the ATP Tour and won Team China's first men's singles title at the Asian Games in 29 years.

"It was probably the toughest year in my career, in that I had to overcome a lot of new challenges entering uncharted territory for Chinese men's tennis," Zhang, a 27-year-old Shanghai native, said at a recent promotional event for the Australian Open in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

"It was also the most successful year, so I'm really proud of myself and so grateful to my team for helping me through it. I've had quite a relaxing offseason and I feel ready to fight for a better result at the upcoming Australian Open."

After becoming the first Chinese mainland player to crack the world's top 100 in October 2022, Zhang stepped up another gear last year by allying his powerful serve and aggressive forehand to greater resilience, tactical maturity and mental toughness.

During the clay-court swing, he upset three top-30 opponents to reach the Madrid Masters quarterfinals — the furthest a Chinese player has ever reached at the ATP 1000 level.

He followed that up with his first semifinal berth on the tour at an ATP 500 event in Germany and a third-round run at the US Open, where he stunned Norway's Casper Ruud in a five-set, second-round thriller to become the first male Chinese mainland player to beat a top-five opponent.

Zhang put the icing on the cake in late September, winning Asiad gold in Hangzhou to become only the second Chinese man to do so following Pan Bing's triumph in 1994.

Wonderful Wu

Leading the men's surge alongside Zhang was Wu Yibing, who became the first Chinese player to win an ATP tour-level singles title, at the Dallas Open in February, and reached a career-high ranking of No 54 in May.

Despite a left-foot injury that slowed him down late in the season, Wu is raring to build on his breakthrough year in 2024.

"Not quite a happy ending, but 2023 was a great year that left me with so many beautiful memories," the 24-year-old former US Open boys' title winner said on Weibo after undergoing surgery on his injured foot in October.

"Coming back from the injury, I'm looking forward to a stronger campaign in the new season," added Wu, who announced on Dec 23 that he will now work with new coach Wayne Ferreira, a former world No 6 of South Africa.

With Zhang and Wu leading the charge, it might not be too long before others follow.

Teenager Shang Juncheng, once the world's top-ranked junior, fought through qualifying to reach the main draw at last year's Australian Open to mark the first time three Chinese men had competed at a major together. They repeated the feat at the French Open.

"Those two guys, they are definitely my inspiration," admitted 18-year-old Shang. "They've been on the tour longer than me and are way more experienced than me."

Zhang, as the oldest of the trio, reckons the men's rise has only just begun.

"Right now, it's the three of us, but perhaps in the future, we might have four or even five. I hope to see more Chinese players participating in the main draw," said Zhang, who reached world No 52 in July, an all-time ATP high for a Chinese mainland player.

'Queen Wen' reigns

China's already competitive women's players also enjoyed a fruitful season. Four WTA titles were won by three Chinese aces, led by 14th-ranked star Zheng Qinwen, who was named the WTA's Most Improved Player In 2023.

Zheng's powerful topspin and kick serve helped her land her first career singles title at the WTA 250 Palermo Ladies Open in July.

She finished the season strong with a quarterfinal run at the US Open, a second singles title on home soil at the WTA 500 Zhengzhou Open and a final appearance at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

Zheng, who was nicknamed "Queen Wen "by fans, stepped up her mental game in 2023 to overcome challenges on and off the court and achieve a greater level of consistency in the top echelon.

Her steady improvement was all the more commendable considering she and coach Wim Fissette parted ways in September, with the Belgian informing Zheng of his decision to return to former world No 1 Naomi Osaka's team just before the Asian Games.

Although disappointed by Fissette's sudden departure, Zheng kept her composure to claim China's fifth consecutive women's singles title at the Asiad.

Following Zheng, world No 33 Zhu Lin and 71st-ranked Wang Xiyu also won their maiden WTA trophies in 2023, in Thailand and Guangzhou respectively.

A total of seven players from the Chinese mainland finished 2023 within the world's top 100, sparking comparisons to the "Golden Flowers" generation of the early 2010s, when two-time major winner Li Na and doubles Grand Slam champions Zheng Jie and Yan Zi did the nation proud.

"Li Na's career inspired young players like me to be as good and tough as her," Zheng said.

"Chinese players have been devoting themselves to professional tennis for over 20 years, and we support and inspire each other. As a result, we are able to practice harder and battle through tough moments on the court."

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn