The fierce battle for final tickets has made Keys and Xiaomila the victims, while Zheng Qinwen makes a full comeback at the National Games.

When the WTA announced the updated world rankings this week, fans of China’s leading player Zheng Qinwen felt relieved upon seeing her position.

Withdrawing from the Wuhan 1000 event and losing the 650 points from last year’s runner-up finish caused Zheng Qinwen’s ranking to slip out of the top ten, falling to the eleventh spot.

The latest WTA world rankings show that although Zheng Qinwen remains at this position, the top ten has undergone a reshuffle, especially due to the intense competition between Rybakina and Badosa at the Ningbo 500 tournament, which significantly shook up the top ten list.

Every week when the WTA releases the updated rankings, many fans and netizens view it as a barometer of player consistency. With Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Anisimova, and Pegula firmly holding the top five spots, it proves that stability truly dominates, making it quite challenging for others to replace any of them.

The player with the most noticeable ranking drop this week is the new Australian Open champion, Keys!

Seeing the American star’s ranking decline, some fans and netizens jokingly blamed the fierce competition for the year-end finals tickets, ultimately pointing fingers at Keys.

Since the Ningbo 500 became the decisive battle between Badosa and Rybakina for the year-end finals ticket, both young women fought fiercely, pushing themselves to the limit regardless of any difficult situations.

For instance, in the quarterfinals against Swiss star Bencic, Badosa lost the first set 5-7 and faced Bencic’s confident and spirited play, whose flexible and varied style troubled the Italian player greatly.

Just when everyone thought Badosa was likely to collapse, the Italian surprisingly relied on her exceptional resilience and fearless fighting spirit at critical moments, gritfully winning the next two sets 7-5 and 6-3, pulling off a thrilling comeback against Bencic.

Although Badosa battled for 3 hours and 22 minutes to finally claim victory, this hard-fought win brought her great rewards. Even though she lost to Rybakina in the semifinals and missed the Ningbo 500 final, with Andreyeva absent from the Tokyo 500, Badosa secured a year-end finals ticket for Riyadh with a narrow 6-point lead in advance.

Moreover, reaching the semifinals after defeating Bencic boosted Badosa’s ranking from eighth to sixth this week, marking a double celebration.

Rybakina, who defeated Badosa in the semifinals, has not yet secured a year-end finals ticket like the Italian but by winning the final against Alexandrova, she gained a strong advantage in the competition with Andreyeva for the last spot. If she wins two consecutive matches in Tokyo, she will lock in the eighth place qualification.

Of course, winning the Ningbo 500 also raised Rybakina’s ranking from ninth to seventh.

It can be said that Badosa and Rybakina fought fiercely for the year-end finals ticket, and together their rankings pushed Keys down from sixth to eighth in the world.

However, while sympathizing with Keys’ situation, people also expressed concern for Andreyeva.

The Russian player was surpassed by Badosa in championship points and is closely pursued by Rybakina, risking losing her eighth spot for the year-end finals. Her ranking dropped to ninth, just one step away from falling out of the top ten, suffering a double setback.

After seeing the latest WTA world rankings, some fans and netizens said they expected Zheng Qinwen’s ranking to decline further, so maintaining the eleventh position is somewhat comforting.

But others pointed out that Zheng’s ranking drop is no longer the main focus, since with the upcoming loss of 1300 points from Tokyo and last year’s year-end finals, her ranking will inevitably fall sharply. The priority should be on her fate at the National Games.

After ending her 2025 season early, speculation has been rife about Zheng Qinwen’s participation in the November Guangzhou National Games, a quadrennial event she is very likely to return to. Official information released so far confirms this guess.

According to the latest roster, Zheng Qinwen will compete not only in singles but also in doubles, showing great determination to represent Hubei and bring glory to her province at the National Games.

However, public discussion about this matter also expresses concern that Zheng withdrew from Wuhan, Ningbo, and Tokyo 500 tournaments emphasizing that recovery is key, raising worries she might suddenly withdraw from the National Games just before it starts, disappointing those eager to see her play.

Some say the chance is slim! They argue that the competition intensity at the National Games is much lower than on the tour, and although Zheng’s elbow injury hasn’t fully healed, she should be able to handle this level of competition without worry about withdrawing.

Yet, some remain cautious, saying “better safe than sorry.” One person confidently guaranteed that since the National Games are like a national Olympics, Zheng Qinwen definitely won’t withdraw because bringing honor to her province is a major priority!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlight River’s Starry Sky)