By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, October 3, 2025
Photo credit: Wuhan Open/CVG
Zheng Qinwen is pressing pause on her comeback.
The Olympic gold-medal champion withdrew from the Wuhan Open today.
Zheng, who was sidelined nearly two months and missed the US Open due to elbow surgery, launched her comeback in Beijing, but was forced to retire in the third set of her second-round match vs. Linda Noskova on Sunday.
“I’m here to assess the recovery level of my elbow,” Zheng said after her Beijing retirement. “I said this before the match. I’m not playing at 100%.
“I’m playing with pain. But the pain should be manageable. As long as it is beyond my control, this is the first time in my life to have a surgery like this. I will not be too aggressive against such a backdrop. I have to consider a longer professional career.”
Zheng will be replaced in the Wuhan Open draw by Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maniero. The main draw will be conducted tomorrow (Saturday) at 4 pm local time.
Zheng also withdrew from Ningbo, scheduled for the following week (October 13-19) via video message.
