Ready for first major test

Even without "Queen Wen" leading the charge, the small Chinese contingent remains an intriguing unit to watch at the Australian Open, with the nation's injury-plagued aces eager to serve up fresh proof of their comeback in Melbourne.

Recovered and recharged after a solid offseason, China's best available men's and women's players have collectively shown quite encouraging form at the beginning of 2026, as they strive to swing their way back into the elite ranks at the season-opening major after a year of struggle.

With China's top star Zheng Qinwen sidelined by her prolonged rehab from elbow surgery last July, the country will be represented by only two direct entries through rankings in the women's singles draw — world No 43 Wang Xinyu and 73rd-ranked veteran Zhang Shuai — the fewest in a decade.

They will be joined in the main draw by two up-and-coming women, Yuan Yue and Bai Zhuoxuan, who made it through the qualifying tournament.

On the men's side, former world No 31 Zhang Zhizhen and rising star Shang Juncheng have secured main draw qualifications through their respective protected rankings, with the country's currently highest-ranked man Buyunchaokete also making the draw as winner of the AO Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff.

The country's first ATP Tour title winner Wu Yibing stole the show at Melbourne Park on Thursday by thrashing US opponent Tristan Boyer in straight sets in the third qualifying round to book his second main-draw appearance at the Aussie major.

The qualification of the 168th-ranked Wu rewrote history of the game, with four men representing the Chinese Tennis Association, the most to compete in the main draw together at any major event.

It's also the first time that the CTA will be represented by an equal number of men and women in the main draw at a Slam, serving up a testament of the inexorable rise of Chinese men on the professional stage, where their female counterparts have predominantly enjoyed much more success.

So far, so good — especially after a barren 2025 campaign that saw injury woes slow down the progress of China's best, without any singles titles won on either the men's, nor the women's, pro circuits.