Zheng Qinwen has withdrawn from the Kinoshita Group Japan Open in Osaka, extending her absence from the Asian swing as she continues to manage a shoulder injury.
The WTA 250 event runs from Oct. 19-25, and Zheng’s place in the main draw will be taken by World No. 68 Ashlyn Krueger. It is Zheng’s second successive withdrawal after she also pulled out of the Wuhan Open earlier in the week.
Shoulder issue follows demanding Beijing title run
Zheng arrives at this enforced break after a remarkable month that included her breakthrough China Open triumph in Beijing. Entering that WTA 1000 tournament on a wild card, she became the first Chinese player to lift the China Open women’s singles trophy.
Her route to the title demanded seven matches and four straight three-set wins before she defeated Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, Elise Mertens in the semifinals and Mirra Andreeva in the championship match.
- Four consecutive three-set victories opened Zheng’s Beijing campaign.
- She beat Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinal.
- She overcame Elise Mertens in the semifinal.
- She defeated Mirra Andreeva to secure the title.
Zheng spent 15 hours and 16 minutes on court during the tournament, the highest total recorded by any player at a single event this season. It is also the biggest total since Opta began compiling the statistic in 2023.
The Beijing crown was Zheng’s first WTA 1000 title and her first WTA Tour title since 2024.
After withdrawing from Wuhan, Zheng said the recent schedule had caught up with her. She noted that, following her return from injury, she had played an intense six-week stretch across the US Open, Billie Jean King Cup and China Open, adding that the volume of matches had left her body heavily fatigued.
Ranking rise and Hong Kong schedule
Zheng’s surge began at the US Open, where she advanced to the quarterfinals after coming through qualifying. Since the start of that event, she has won 14 of 15 matches, with nine going the distance.
Her only defeat in that span came against World No. 1 Elena Rybakina. The run has carried Zheng from No. 121 in the PIF WTA Rankings to No. 23, a rise of 98 places in under two months.
She remains listed to play next month’s Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open, a WTA 250 tournament that is among the final two events before the WTA Finals in Indian Wells.
