Victory after victory: Four Chinese female tennis stars advance past the first round of the Thailand Hope Tournament.

It’s common for Chinese female tennis players in Hope and Challenger tournaments to go unnoticed. Yet, those competing on these stages are the true future of Chinese women’s tennis, and they are worthy of recognition. This week, four Chinese players are in action at the Thailand Hope Tournament. Who are they, and how did they fare? Read on to find out.

Many fans might not be familiar with Tian Fangran, but she is the first Chinese woman to win the singles title at the U.S. Collegiate Tennis Championships. Earlier this year, Tian also claimed her first career Hope Tournament championship. This week, she entered the Thailand Hope Tournament as the eighth seed. In the first round, Tian dominated Thai qualifier A Prasutnawin, winning both sets 6-0 to advance to the second round.

Compared to Tian Fangran, Wang Yuhan is even less well-known. Last season, she won titles at the International Junior Tennis Tour events in Wuning and Wuhan. Due to her age, Wang Yuhan often competes in Hope Tournaments as a junior player, which makes achieving great results challenging. This week, she again entered the Thailand Hope Tournament as a junior. In the first round, she faced Israeli qualifier S Nagornaia. Wang Yuhan took the first set 6-2, putting herself in a strong position, and then advanced when her opponent withdrew due to health issues, moving smoothly into the second round.

Back in early March, Ye Qiuyu started her run from the qualifiers at the Ma'anshan Hope Tournament, stringing together seven straight wins to reach her first Hope Tournament final of the 2025 season. Unfortunately, she lost decisively to Russian player D Egorova in the final and missed out on the title. Nevertheless, this remains Ye Qiuyu's best result of the season, as she hasn’t made it to another final since. This week, Ye Qiuyu is competing in the Thailand Hope Tournament. In the first round, she defeated Serbian player D Suvirdjonkova in straight sets to reach the second round.

With that, all the pressure shifted to Liu Yuhan. This season, her results have been disappointing, with only one main draw win at the Monastir Hope Tournament. Recently, Liu Yuhan entered the qualifiers in Thailand as the sixth seed, received a bye in the first round, and then delivered a 6-0 victory over Russian player D Nazarenko to secure her spot in the main draw. In the first round, she faced Singapore’s EM Desvignes. After a tough battle in the first set, Liu Yuhan held firm and claimed the win. She then dominated the second set, easily securing her place in the next round.

So, all four Chinese female players—Tian Fangran, Wang Yuhan, Ye Qiuyu, and Liu Yuhan—won their opening matches at the Thailand Hope Tournament and advanced to the second round. Next, Liu Yuhan will face Tian Fangran in an all-Chinese matchup, while Wang Yuhan and Ye Qiuyu will take on seeded players. What results will they achieve? Let’s wait and see! That’s all for today’s tennis story—more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home; Author: Yixin Jushi)