Serving up success

'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