Strategic withdrawal? Wang Xinyu pulls out of the Dubai 1000 tournament!

Wang Xinyu stands out as one of the brightest Chinese stars this season besides Zhang Shuai. In her season opener at the WTA250 Auckland event, she entered as the 7th seed and eliminated McNally, Zarazua, Jones, and Iga in succession to reach the final, where she was ultimately defeated in straight sets by the more seasoned top seed Svitolina, earning second place.

Afterwards, Wang Xinyu quickly moved on to compete at the WTA250 Hobart tournament, where she won her first-round match against Gibson but was eliminated by Renée in the second round, failing to advance further.

At the Australian Open, Wang Xinyu, unseeded, defeated Kalinina, the 24th seed Ostapenko, and the 13th seed Noskova in succession, reaching the fourth round of the singles for the first time in her career at Melbourne Park. However, she was knocked out in the round of 16 by the 4th seed Anisimova, missing the chance to further improve her best Australian Open result.

Following her exit from the Australian Open, Wang Xinyu did not take much rest and promptly headed to Europe to participate in the WTA250 Cluj-Napoca tournament in Romania. There, she was seeded fourth in singles and, after defeating qualifier Cvitko and then Masarova, she was surprisingly upset by Orlikova in the third round.

Next came this week's WTA1000 event in Doha. Wang Xinyu cruised past Arango in the first round but faced the tournament's 2nd seed Rybakina in the second round, where she was decisively defeated. By early February, Wang had already competed in five tournaments this season, also partnering with Zheng Saisai in doubles during these events.

Continuous competition poses significant challenges to an athlete's stamina and injury management. Fortunately, after her exit in Doha, Wang Xinyu finally chose to rest. According to her latest schedule, she has withdrawn from the Dubai tournament alongside well-known players like Vondrousova and Kessler.

According to Wang Xinyu’s updated participation plan, after skipping the Dubai event, she will rest for two weeks. Her next tournament will be the WTA250 Austin event starting on February 23, followed by the North American Sunshine Double tournaments.

As a player ranked outside the top 30, Wang Xinyu has not given up on competing in more 250-level tournaments. She is still striving for her first WTA singles title. Born in 2001, she will turn 25 this year but so far has only reached singles finals at the 2025 WTA500 Berlin and the 2026 WTA250 Auckland events, without claiming a championship.

So, do you think Wang Xinyu can capture her first singles title on the tour this year?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Barbie)