From Internet celebrity to professional tennis, Tang Peien's challenge and perseverance

From April 21st to 26th, the 2025 China Tennis Tour CTA1000 Huzhou Tennis Open kicked off at the newly built Huzhou International Clay Tennis Center. This is Tang's first time competing in a professional tournament on the China Tennis Tour, having previously competed in a CTA500 tournament in Foshan in 2021. Tang Pui Yan entered the tournament as a wild card, losing 1-6, 0-6 to the formidable seventh seed Liu Lok Yi in the first round of the Women's Singles, and then losing 2-6, 3-6 to Ho Jia Ying/Li Siu Wei in the first round of the Women's Doubles with Cai Jia Lan.

Prior to her arrival in Huzhou, Tang had been attending the ITF event in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province last weekend, and did not arrive until the morning of the first match, so she did not have much time to settle for the clay courts. Tang said after the match: "I feel okay with my overall performance, after all, clay has a bit of an irregular bounce compared to hard courts, and that's something I need to get used to. This time my singles and doubles matches were all on Centre Court, so it was great to see a lot of fans coming to watch me and cheer me on, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere of playing here, which is something I rarely get to experience. This is my first time participating in the highest level of the China Open Tour, the players can enjoy free accommodation and meals here, and there are referees and drivers for each match, and the tournament is very well organized, which gives me a good experience."

Deng Peien was deeply impressed by the court of the Huzhou International Clay Tennis Center, she said: "This is my first time in Huzhou, first of all, all the clay courts here are all covered, but the players do not feel stuffy, and the venue is very beautifully built. Although I don't have much time to prepare, I think the clay court here is very easy to play, and I can see that the clay materials here are better, the coating is thicker, and the overall feeling is very comfortable. Huzhou is very accessible, and if I have the chance, I would like to go to Taihu Lake, and I may also come here at the end of June to participate in the ITF Junior Events. ”

Entering the 2025 season, Tang is gradually moving towards the professional arena, and in order to improve her competitiveness in higher-level competitions, she has strengthened her physical and confrontational intensity in her daily training: "Because I participate in the China Tennis Tour and some other professional tournaments, my opponents are all professional players, so I need to work on physical fitness and strength, and my coach will also give me more intensity in my daily training. ”

Talking about his personal goals in the short term, Tang Peien said that he hopes to get his own professional ranking as soon as possible: "I will indeed choose to participate in domestic adult professional competitions this year, and my opponents are all older players than me, so there is no pressure, and I can play every game with the mentality of an impactor. ”

Although both singles and doubles stopped in the first round, Tang Peien's two matches in Huzhou attracted many fans to watch the matches, many of whom were her fans. Since opening her social media account, Tang has gained a lot of attention by filming videos about tennis teachings and daily life, and now has 50,000 followers on Xiaohongshu and 37,000 on Douyin. Tang Pei Yan is currently studying at an international high school in Suzhou, and while she is focusing on her tennis career, she is also trying to balance her studies with short video creation, so it is important to balance her time and energy.

In this regard, Deng Peien said: "In fact, usually, I try not to let the self-media affect my training and learning too much, I shoot some videos during the training process, and the focus is definitely on tennis, and the purpose of my social media is to do a part to promote tennis." I'm very happy that I have gained a lot of fans, and I am very surprised to thank everyone for coming to support me. ”