Zheng Qinwen withdrew at the last minute and was nicknamed "Zheng Runner," Leylah Fernandez’s champion photoshoot went viral for her stunning looks, and Li Xiaohui became a double title winner.

In just three minutes a day, stay informed about the world of tennis. Hello tennis fans, today is Sunday, February 1, 2026. Welcome to the midday news update from "Tennis Home."

Yesterday Beijing time, the main draw for the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi event was announced, and China’s top player Zheng Qinwen was missing from the list. Reports then emerged that Zheng had chosen to withdraw at the last minute, postponing her return again.

Since undergoing elbow surgery after Wimbledon last year, Zheng Qinwen has been in recovery, briefly returning at the China Open before withdrawing again due to injury. This season, she registered for the United Cup mixed team event and two Australian Open tournaments but pulled out before they began. This time, she signed up for Abu Dhabi, even arriving days early to train, raising fans’ hopes for her comeback. Unexpectedly, she withdrew again just before the draw ceremony, disappointing many supporters.

According to the latest updates, Zheng and her team prefer not to take risks. Most fans understand this, but some remain frustrated, feeling she repeatedly wastes their emotions. "Couldn’t the injury assessment be done earlier? Why register and then withdraw? It’s like teasing fans and then dashing their hopes!" "She’s been at the venue for days and still pulls out? Clearly, she’s afraid to lose and is ‘Zheng Runner’!"

Back to Melbourne. Last night Beijing time, the 2026 Australian Open women's singles final concluded thrillingly. Fifth seed and Kazakh star Leylah Fernandez defeated top seed and world No.1 Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to claim her first Australian Open title and her second Grand Slam after winning Wimbledon in 2022.

After the match, the defeated Sabalenka reflected on the loss: "When I led 3-0 in the final set, I felt she had nothing to lose and went all out. I’m not sure if I regret anything; maybe I should have been more aggressive on my serve, since I had break points to pressure her. But she played excellently. When you go from 3-0 to 3-4 and get broken so fast, it all happens too quickly. I gave my best, but she was simply better."

Though known as a composed "cool beauty," Leylah Fernandez was very happy to win the title. Today, she wore a red gown and held the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup during a champion photoshoot in Melbourne, looking stunning. Let’s enjoy the photo series together.

At 4:30 PM Beijing time today, the ultimate Australian Open showdown will take place between top seed and world No.1 Alcaraz and fourth seed, ten-time Australian Open champion Djokovic. Whichever player wins will make history. One is the youngest all-Grand Slam winner, the other chasing a record 25th major title. The answer will be revealed tonight.

Additionally, in the men’s doubles final held the previous day, sixth seeds Harrison and Skupski defeated wildcard pair Kubler and Polmans 7-6(4), 6-4 to win their first Grand Slam title as a team. This marks Harrison’s first Grand Slam men’s doubles crown and Skupski’s second.

In the wheelchair tennis women’s singles final, Chinese player Li Xiaohui defeated the Dutch player De Groot 2-0 to claim the championship. The day before, Li also won the women’s doubles title with partner Wang Ziying, making Li the double champion of wheelchair tennis at this Australian Open. Congratulations to her!

Finally, let’s play a guessing game. The picture below shows a player during a match. Without any hints, can you recognize who it is?

In the previous guessing game, some fans gave the correct answer. Yes, the person in the picture is China’s top player Zheng Qinwen.

(Source: Tennis Home Author: Independent Thinker)