Why does Miami favor Chinese players? Wu Yibing receives a main draw wild card for the second consecutive year.

On March 13 Beijing time, the 2026 ATP/WTA Miami Open announced its first batch of wild card recipients. Chinese player Wu Yibing received a men's singles main draw wild card, marking his second consecutive year of competing in the tournament with a wild card. Other players receiving men's singles main draw wild cards alongside Wu Yibing include Dam, Blanch, Kwame, and Sakamoto Rei.

Wu Yibing

Back in 2017, Wu Yibing made his debut at this tournament with a qualifying wild card, marking his first appearance in a Masters event. In 2023, he directly entered the main draw based on his ranking, defeating British player Edmund in straight sets in the first round, then losing to Argentina's Schwartzman in the second round. In 2025, competing with a wild card, he narrowly lost to Italian player Arnaldi in a tough three-set first-round match.

So far this season, Wu Yibing has a record of 11 wins and 4 losses, securing singles victories in Hong Kong, the Australian Open, and the Davis Cup. At the ATP500 Acapulco tournament held in February, Wu Yibing, who advanced through qualifying, defeated Norwegian star Ruud in the first round and then beat Shimabukuro to reach the quarterfinals.

Statistics show that over the past 15 years, seven Chinese players have competed in Miami using wild cards, with 11 main draw appearances and 5 qualifying appearances. Most of these players are signed with the agency IMG, which also operates this tournament. Zhang Shuai defeated Baltacha in the first round in 2012, then lost to Serena Williams in the second round. Wang Xiyu defeated Olympic champion Puig in the first round in 2019, then lost to Bertens in the second round. Wang Xinyu defeated Peterson in the first round in 2021, then lost to Muguruza in the second round. Shang Juncheng narrowly defeated Kecmanovic in the first round in 2024, then lost to Davidovich Fokina in the second round.

In 2025, Hong Kong Chinese player Coleman Wong first defeated Altmaier in the first round, then upset 13th seed Shelton in the second round, setting the best performance record for a Chinese player using a wild card at this tournament. The remaining men's singles main draw wild cards for this year are yet to be announced, and Wong, who performed excellently last year, is also expected to receive a wild card.

Statistics of Chinese players receiving Miami Open wild cards over the past 15 years

Main Draw (11 appearances)

2012 Zhang Shuai

2019 Wang Xiyu

2019 Wang Xinyu

2021 Wang Xiyu

2021 Wang Xinyu

2022 Shang Juncheng

2023 Shang Juncheng

2024 Shang Juncheng

2025 Wu Yibing

2025 Coleman Wong

2026 Wu Yibing

Qualifying (5 appearances)

2017 Wu Yibing

2018 Wang Xiyu

2019 Zheng Qinwen

2021 Shang Juncheng

2024 Coleman Wong

Venus Williams

Among the first batch of announced wild card recipients, three-time tournament champion Venus Williams prominently leads the list. Twenty-nine years ago (1997), she first competed in this tournament, and the following year (1998) she won the championship. Her last appearance in Miami was in 2024, when she competed with a wild card and lost to Schneider in the first round. Additionally, 2018 tournament champion Stephens is also notably included. Other women's singles main draw wild card recipients include Townsend, Krueger, Brady, Tagle, E. Jones, and Vedmanova.

First Batch of Main Draw Wild Card Recipients

The 2026 ATP/WTA Miami Open tournament will run from March 15 to 29, with the main draw starting on March 17. The best performance by a Chinese player at this tournament was achieved by Li Na in 2014. Having won the Australian Open that year, she advanced to the women's singles final here, ultimately narrowly losing to Serena Williams to finish as runner-up.

(Text and editing: Dato, Image: Visual China)