Luxurious Abu Dhabi! Zheng Qinwen's First Appearance of the New Year

The 2026 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, has progressed to the third round. Among the Chinese mainland players, four reached the second round, but only Wang Xinyu overcame Ostapenko to advance to the third round. Here are the specific women's singles round of 32 matchups:

【1】Sabalenka vs Potapova

【17】Mboko vs Tauson 【14】

【Q】Semez vs Putintseva

【29】Jovic vs Paolini 【7】

【3】Gauff vs Batiste

【19】Mujova vs Rinnet

【12】Svitolina vs Schneider 【23】

Ruse vs Andrejeva 【8】

【6】Pegula vs Shcherbakova

Pliskova vs Keys 【9】

【13】Noskova vs Wang Xinyu

Sterns vs Anisimova 【4】

【5】Rebeka vs Valentova

【21】Mertens vs Bartonkova 【Q】

【16】Osaka Naomi vs Inglis 【Q】

【31】Karinskaya vs Swiatek 【2】

From the third-round draw, the top seeds have shown consistent performance. Meanwhile, the first major event after the Australian Open — the WTA500 Abu Dhabi tournament — has released its full main draw list, with Chinese star Zheng Qinwen among the participants, drawing significant fan attention.

It’s worth noting that Zheng Qinwen announced in early January that she withdrew from the Australian Open due to not being fully recovered to 100%. Indeed, as the highest-level professional tournament, Grand Slams demand greater physical endurance and more rounds from players.

Looking at the lineup for Abu Dhabi, the overall player roster is quite prestigious. Besides Zheng Qinwen, players like Rebeka, Alexandrova, Krejcikova, Bencic, Tauson, Navarro, Samsonova, Mboko, Vondrousova, Mertens, Fernandez, Ostapenko, Badosa, Yastremska, Kenin, Maya, and Kessler are all well-known names.

Of course, until the tournament starts, even from the official entry list or promotional posters, it’s impossible to guarantee all players will compete. Ultimately, players must decide based on their physical condition.

Notably, apart from Zheng Qinwen, Filipino player Iela received a valuable women’s singles wildcard for Abu Dhabi. She recently lost in the first round of the Australian Open to American player Parks. Despite her early exit, the enthusiastic cheering at the match showed she has strong popularity.

According to the schedule, this year’s Abu Dhabi tournament will take place from February 1 to February 7, with qualifying rounds held earlier. Confirmed qualifiers include Karinskaya, Kasatkina, Rinnet, and Bouksha. Chinese star Zhang Shuai is also listed in the women’s singles qualifying draw for Abu Dhabi this year.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Barbie)