A single victory remains elusive; Wang Meiren is having a tough season in China!

3-6, 3-6, Wang Xinyu suffered another defeat.

On the evening of October 14th Beijing time, the first round of the 2025 WTA500 Ningbo tournament saw a Chinese derby where Wang Xinyu played against wildcard entrant Yuan Yue. Yuan Yue won in straight sets, beating Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-3 to move on to the second round. With 60 points and $15,700 prize money gained, Yuan Yue’s immediate ranking climbed to 105.

According to the draw, Yuan Yue’s next opponent will be the tournament’s 4th seed, Aleksandrova, who received a first-round bye. The winner between them will face either Kessler or Samsonova for a spot in the semifinals.

For Wang Xinyu, who has already been eliminated, the 2025 season—especially the recent Asian swing—has been somewhat underwhelming. Starting from the Billie Jean King Cup held in Shenzhen, followed by the China Open, Wuhan Open, and now Ningbo, she has experienced a streak of four consecutive singles losses.

Among these, she was upset in the first round of the China Open by compatriot Zhang Shuai on her birthday. At the Wuhan Open, she also suffered a surprising defeat to Japan’s Moeka Niijima, losing significant points from last year’s semifinal run. Wang Xinyu was even brought to tears during the post-match press conference at Wuhan.

It’s worth noting that at the start of this season, Wang Xinyu’s world ranking nearly reached the top 30, but she has since dropped beyond 60. She currently holds the biggest ranking decline among players in the top 100 worldwide.

Born in 2001, Wang Xinyu is a young rising star who had a career highlight in 2024 by making history at Wimbledon, reaching the women’s singles round of 16 and setting her best Grand Slam result. Last summer, she also won a mixed doubles silver medal at the Paris Olympics alongside fellow Chinese player Zhang Zhizhen.

Entering the 2025 season, Wang Xinyu showed a clear pattern of a strong start but declining form. She reached the singles semifinals at the WTA250 Singapore event in early February. In June, at the WTA500 Berlin tournament, she consecutively defeated Kasatkina, Gauff, Badosa, and Samsonova to reach her first career WTA singles final, where she fought hard but lost in three sets to former Wimbledon champion Vondrousova, missing out on her maiden title.

However, Wang Xinyu still has a long professional career ahead and remains optimistic. Regarding her loss in Ningbo, she said it was the most relaxed match she has played recently, “This has been the most focused and relaxed match for me lately. This mindset allows me to adjust positively regardless of the score, rather than criticizing myself too much or falling into doubt.” We wish Wang Xinyu an early end to her losing streak, a full recovery from injuries, and new victories soon!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)