Wang Yafan Explained

Wang Yafan (; ; born 30 April 1994) is a Chinese professional tennis player. On 7 October 2019, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 47. She peaked at No. 49 in the doubles rankings on 15 February 2016.

In her career, she has won one singles title and four doubles titles on the WTA Tour, along with one singles title and four doubles titles on the Challenger Tour. In addition, she won 16 singles and seven doubles tournaments on the ITF Circuit.

Playing for the China Fed Cup team, Wang has a win–loss record of 9–3, as of September 2024.

Personal life

She was born in Nanjing in 1994. Wang Yafan started playing tennis when she was nine years old.^[1]

Career

2014: WTA Tour debut

Wang made her WTA Tour debut at the 2014 Shenzhen Open, partnering Zheng Jie in doubles.^[2] The pair won their first-round match against wildcards Sun Ziyue and Xu Shilin,^[2] and defeated third seeds Irina Buryachok and Oksana Kalashnikova, then lost to eventual champions Monica Niculescu and Klára Zakopalová in the semifinals.^[2]

In September 2014 at the Guangzhou International Open, Wang was given a wildcard into the singles main draw, and she advanced to the semifinals, upsetting Samantha Stosur in the first round,^[3] and qualifiers Petra Martić and Zhang Kailin along the way. She was knocked out by eventual champion Monica Niculescu.^[4]

2018: Breakthrough, Miami Open fourth round

Wang made her career breakthrough at the 2018 Miami Open, where she reached the fourth round as a qualifier, then lost to Angelique Kerber.

2019: Maiden career title, top 50 debut

Wang won her first ever WTA Tour singles title at the Mexican Open in Acapulco where she defeated Sofia Kenin in three sets, after being down a set and a break.^[5] As a result, she achieved her best ranking of world No. 49 on 4 March 2019.

At the Miami Open, she defeated Kristina Mladenovic in the first round. In the second, she clinched her first victory against a top-10 player by defeating Elina Svitolina in straight sets. She then won against Danielle Collins in straight sets and reached the fourth round,^[6] but then lost to compatriot Wang Qiang, in straight sets.

2023: Back to top 100

As a qualifier, Wang won the title at the Golden Gate Open, defeating second seed Kamilla Rakhimova in the final.^[7]

Ranked No. 114 at the US Open, after four years of absence, she qualified for the main draw and upset Caroline Garcia, her second career top 10 win.^[8] As a result, she returned to the top 100 in the rankings on 11 September 2023.^{[9] [10]}

2024: Australian Open third and US Open fourth rounds

At the Australian Open, she reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career, defeating 22nd seed Sorana Cîrstea^[11] and Emma Raducanu,^{[12] [13]} before losing to 12th seed and eventual finalist Zheng Qinwen.^[14] As a result, Wang returned to the top 80 on 29 January 2024.^[15] At the Thailand Open, she reached her first WTA Tour semifinal since 2019 and seventh overall, defeating Katie Volynets in a third set tiebreak.^{[16] [17]}

At the US Open, she reached the fourth round of a major for the first time in her career, overcoming ninth seed Maria Sakkari by injury retirement for her first top 10 win for the season and second at this tournament,^{[18] [19]} before defeating Diane Parry.^[20] She then upset 20th seed Viktoria Azarenka in the third round.^[21] This was her fifth career top 20 win and also second in the same tournament for the first time.^[22] Her run was ended by 26th seed Paula Badosa.^[23]

Performance timelines

Only main-draw results in WTA Tour, Grand Slam tournaments, Billie Jean King Cup, United Cup, Hopman Cup and Olympic Games are included in win–loss records.^[24]

Singles

Current through the 2025 Australian Open.

Tournament	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025			Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
style=text-align:left	Australian Open	A	A	A	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q3	style=background:#afeeee	1R	A	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q2	style=background:#afeeee	2R	style=background:#afeeee	1R	style=background:#afeeee	1R	A	A	style=background:#afeeee	3R	style=background:#afeeee	2R	0 / 6	4–6
style=text-align:left	French Open	A	A	A	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q2	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q1	A	style=background:#afeeee	1R	style=background:#afeeee	1R	A	style=background:#f0f8ff		A	A	style=background:#afeeee	2R	A	0 / 3	1–3
style=text-align:left	Wimbledon	A	A	A	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q3	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q2	A	style=background:#afeeee	1R	style=background:#afeeee	2R	style=color:#767676	NH	style=background:#afeeee	1R	A	A	style=background:#afeeee	2R	A	0 / 4	2–4
style=text-align:left	US Open	A	A	A	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q2	style=background:#afeeee	2R	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q2	style=background:#afeeee	2R	style=background:#afeeee	1R	A	A	A	style=background:#afeeee	2R	style=background:#afeeee	4R	style=background:#afeeee	1R	0 / 6	6–6
style=text-align:left	Win–loss	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–2	0–0	1–3	2–4	0–1	0–2	0–0	1–1	7–4	1–2	0 / 19	13–19
National representation
style=text-align:left	Billie Jean King Cup	A	A	A	A	style=background:#ecf2ff	Z1	A	style=background:#ecf2ff	Z1	A	A		A				0 / 0	3–2
WTA 1000
style=text-align:left	Qatar Open	A	A	A	style=color:#767676	NMS	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q1	style=color:#767676	NMS	A	style=color:#767676	NMS	A	style=color:#767676	NMS	A	style=color:#767676	NMS	A	A	0 / 0	0–0
style=text-align:left	Dubai	NMS			A	style=color:#767676	NMS	A	style=color:#767676	NMS	A	style=color:#767676	NMS	A	style=color:#767676	NMS	A	A	A	0 / 0	0–0
style=text-align:left	Indian Wells Open	A	A	A	A	A	A	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q1	style=background:#afeeee	1R	style=color:#767676	NH	A	A	A	style=background:#afeeee	1R	A	0 / 2	0–2
style=text-align:left	Miami Open	A	A	A	A	A	A	style=background:#afeeee	4R	style=background:#afeeee	4R	style=color:#767676	NH	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q1	A	A	style=background:#afeeee	1R	A	0 / 3	6–3
style=text-align:left	Madrid Open	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	style=background:#afeeee	1R	style=color:#767676	NH	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q1	A	A	A	A	0 / 1	0–1
style=text-align:left	Italian Open	A	A	A	A	A	A	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q1	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q1	A	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q1	A	A	style=background:#afeeee	1R	A	0 / 1	0–1
style=text-align:left	Canadian Open	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	2R		0 / 1	1–1
style=text-align:left	Cincinnati Open	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	style=background:#afeeee	2R	A	A	A	A	style=background:#afeeee	1R		0 / 2	1–2
style=text-align:left	Guadalajara Open	NH	A	A	NMS	0 / 0	0–0
style=text-align:left	Pan Pacific / Wuhan Open	A	A	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q1	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q2	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q1	style=background:#afeeee	1R	style=background:#afeeee	1R	style=background:#afeeee	2R	NH	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q1		0 / 3	1–3
style=text-align:left	China Open	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q1	A	A	style=background:#f0f8ff	Q2	style=background:#afeeee	2R	style=background:#afeeee	1R	style=background:#afeeee	1R	style=background:#afeeee	2R	NH	A	style=background:#afeeee	1R		0 / 5	2–5
style=text-align:left	Win–loss	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–1	0–2	3–3	6–6	0–0	0–0	0–0	0–0	1–6	0–0	0 / 18	11–18
Career statistics
	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025			Win %
style=text-align:left	Tournaments	0	0	1	3	8	5	12	22	6	9	0	1	16	2	Career total: 69
style=text-align:left	Titles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	Career total: 1
style=text-align:left	Finals	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	Career total: 1
style=text-align:left	Overall win–loss	0–0	0–0	3–1	1–3	4–9	5–5	13–13	25–21	3–6	1–9	0–0	1–1	15–16	1–2	1 / 84	72–85
style=text-align:left	Year-end ranking	520	313	191	135	117	168	73	48	94	300	418	97	61		$2,359,815

Doubles

Tournament	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2024			Win %
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open	A	A	2R	A	1R	2R	1R	1R	A	2R	0 / 6	3–6
French Open	A	1R	2R	A	1R	2R	A	2R	A	2R	0 / 6	4–6
Wimbledon	A	1R	1R	A	1R	3R	style=color:#767676	NH	1R	A	2R	0 / 6	3–6
US Open	A	A	1R	2R	1R	1R	A	A	A	1R	0 / 5	1–5
Win–loss	0–0	0–2	2–4	1–1	0–4	4–4	0–1	1–3	0–0	3–4	0 / 23	11–23
Year-end championships
WTA Elite Trophy	style=color:#767676	DNQ	bgcolor=lime	W	RR	DNQ	NH				1 / 2	3–2
WTA 1000
Dubai / Qatar Open	A	A	1R	A	A	A	A	A	A		0 / 1	0–1
Italian Open	A	A	1R	A	1R	A	A	1R	A		0 / 3	0–3
Cincinnati Open	A	A	1R	A	A	A	A	A	A	2R	0 / 2	1–2
Pan Pacific / Wuhan Open	1R	1R	1R	1R	QF	1R	NH				0 / 6	2–6
China Open	A	bgcolor=yellow	SF	1R	1R	1R	2R	NH			2R	0 / 6	5–6
Career statistics
Tournaments	4	11	16	5	11	15	4	11	0		Career total: 77
Titles	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0		Career total: 3
Finals	0	3	1	0	1	1	1	0	0		Career total: 7
Overall win–loss	4–4	14–9	11–17	1–5	7–10	16–15	5–4	6–11	0–0		3 / 77	64–75
Year-end ranking	158	57	70	361	79	68	79	114	826

Significant finals

WTA Elite Trophy

Doubles: 1 (title)

WTA Tour finals

Singles: 1 (title)

Finals by surface Hard (1–0) Grass (0–0) Clay (0–0)

Doubles: 8 (4 titles, 4 runner-ups)

Legend Elite Trophy (1–0) WTA 1000 WTA 500 WTA 250 (3–4)

Finals by surface Hard (4–4) Clay (0–0) Grass (0–0)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	0–1		Shenzhen Open, China	International	Hard	Liang Chen	Lyudmyla Kichenok Nadiia Kichenok	4–6, 6–7(6–8)
Win	1–1		Malaysian Open, Malaysia	International	Hard	Liang Chen	Yuliya Beygelzimer Olga Savchuk	4–6, 6–3, [10–4]
Win	2–1		WTA Elite Trophy, China	Elite Trophy	Hard	Liang Chen		6–4, 6–3
Loss	2–2		Malaysian Open, Malaysia	International	Hard	Liang Chen	Varatchaya Wongteanchai Yang Zhaoxuan	6–4, 4–6, [7–10]
Win	3–2		Taipei Open, Taiwan	International	Hard (i)	Duan Yingying	Nao Hibino Oksana Kalashnikova	7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–5)
Loss	3–3		Hua Hin Championships, Thailand	International	Hard	Anna Blinkova	Irina-Camelia Begu Monica Niculescu	6–2, 1–6, [10–12]
Loss	3–4		Monterrey Open, Mexico	International	Hard	Miyu Kato	Kateryna Bondarenko Sharon Fichman	6–4, 3–6, [7–10]
Win	4–4		Hong Kong Open, China SAR	WTA 250	Hard	Jiang Xinyu	Momoko Kobori Peangtarn Plipuech	6–4, 6–2

WTA Challenger finals

Singles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	0–1		WTA 125 Zhengzhou, China	Hard	Zheng Saisai	7–5, 2–6, 1–6
Win	1–1		WTA 125 Stanford, United States	Hard	Kamilla Rakhimova	6–2, 6–0

Doubles: 5 (4 titles, 1 runner-up)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	0–1		WTA 125 Nanchang, China	Hard	Chan Chin-wei	Chang Kai-chen Zheng Saisai	3–6, 6–4, [3–10]
Win	1–1		WTA 125 Hua Hin, Thailand	Hard (i)	Liang Chen	Varatchaya Wongteanchai Yang Zhaoxuan	6–3, 6–4
Win	2–1		WTA 125 Hua Hin, Thailand (2)	Hard (i)	Duan Yingying	Dalila Jakupović Irina Khromacheva	6–3, 6–3
Win	3–1		WTA 125 Zhengzhou, China	Hard	Duan Yingying	Naomi Broady Yanina Wickmayer	7–6(7–5), 6–3
Win	4–1		WTA 125 Bol, Croatia	Clay	Mariana Duque Mariño	Silvia Soler Espinosa Barbora Štefková	6–3, 7–5

ITF Circuit finals

Singles: 24 (16 titles, 8 runner-ups)

Legend $50/60,000 tournaments (3–3) $40,000 tournaments (1–0) $25,000 tournaments (7–3) $10/15,000 tournaments (5–2)

Finals by surface Hard (13–6) Clay (2–1) Grass (1–1)

Result		Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1–0	May 2012	ITF Jakarta, Indonesia	10,000	Hard	Yang Zi	6–1, 6–3
Loss	1–1	Dec 2012	ITF Bangkok, Thailand	10,000	Hard	Nungnadda Wannasuk	3–6, 1–6
Win	2–1	Mar 2013	ITF Sydney, Australia	10,000	Hard	Misa Eguchi	6–2, 6–0
Win	3–1	Sep 2013	ITF Yeongwol, South Korea	10,000	Hard	Kim Sun-jung	6–1, 6–4
Win	4–1	Sep 2013	ITF Yeongwol, South Korea (2)	10,000	Hard	Lee Pei-chi	2–6, 6–1, 6–2
Loss	4–2	Feb 2014	ITF Salisbury, Australia	15,000	Hard	Jang Su-jeong	3–6, 6–7(6)
Win	5–2	Jul 2014	ITF Bangkok, Thailand (2)	10,000	Hard	Sabina Sharipova	6–3, 6–2
Win	6–2	Jul 2014	ITF Phuket, Thailand	25,000	Hard (i)	Xu Yifan	3–6, 6–2, 7–5
Win	7–2	Jul 2015	ITF Zhengzhou, China	25,000	Hard	Duan Yingying	6–4, 6–4
Loss	7–3	Apr 2016	ITF Kashiwa, Japan	25,000	Hard	Jang Su-jeong	4–6, 6–1, 3–6
Loss	7–4	Oct 2016	ITF Suzhou, China	50,000	Hard	Chang Kai-chen	6–4, 2–6, 1–6
Win	8–4	Jul 2017	ITF Tianjin, China	25,000	Hard	Zhu Lin	6–4, 6–2
Win	9–4	Oct 2017	ITF Liuzhou, China	60,000	Hard	Nao Hibino	3–6, 6–4, 3–3 ret.
Loss	9–5	Aug 2018	ITF Jinan, China	60,000	Hard	Zhu Lin	4–6, 1–6
Win	10–5	Nov 2018	ITF Liuzhou, China	60,000	Hard	Han Na-lae	6–4, 6–2
Win	11–5	Feb 2022	bgcolor=lightblue	ITF Antalya, Turkey	bgcolor=lightblue	25,000	Clay	Katharina Hobgarski	7–5, 6–3
Loss	11–6	Feb 2022	bgcolor=lightblue	ITF Antalya, Turkey	bgcolor=lightblue	25,000	Clay	Réka Luca Jani	4–6, 3–6
Loss	11–7	Mar 2023	bgcolor=lightblue	ITF Swan Hill, Australia	bgcolor=lightblue	25,000	Grass	Joanna Garland	3–6, 6–4, 6–7(7)
Win	12–7	Mar 2023	ITF Canberra, Australia	60,000	Clay	Olivia Gadecki	3–6, 6–2, 6–0
Win	13–7	May 2023	bgcolor=lightblue	ITF Karuizawa, Japan	bgcolor=lightblue	25,000	Grass	Haruka Kaji	6–0, 6–1
Win	14–7	Jun 2023	bgcolor=lightblue	ITF Tokyo, Japan	bgcolor=lightblue	25,000	Hard	Johanne Svendsen	6–1, 6–0
Win	15–7	Jun 2023	bgcolor=lightblue	ITF Luzhou, China	bgcolor=lightblue	25,000	Hard	You Xiaodi	7–5, 6–2
Win	16–7	Jul 2023	ITF Hong Kong, China SAR	40,000	Hard	Eudice Chong	6–2, 6–3
Loss	16–8	Jul 2023	ITF Dallas, United States	60,000	Hard (i)	Yulia Starodubtseva	6–3, 2–6, 2–6

Doubles: 12 (7 titles, 5 runner-ups)

Legend $100,000 tournaments (1–0) $75,000 tournaments (1–0) $50/60,000 tournaments (2–2) $25,000 tournaments (0–1) $10/15,000 tournaments (3–2)

Finals by surface Hard (5–3) Clay (1–1) Grass (0–1) Carpet (1–0)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1–0	Apr 2010	ITF Ningbo, China	10,000	Hard	Yang Zhaoxuan	Lu Jiaxiang Yang Zi-Jun	1–6, 6–2, [10–4]
Loss	1–1	Jul 2012	ITF Huzhou, China	15,000	Clay	Tian Ran	Li Yihong Zhang Kailin	6–3, 4–6, [6–10]
Win	2–1	Dec 2012	ITF Bangkok, Thailand	10,000	Hard	Wen Xin	Kim Na-ri Lee Ye-ra	7–5, 7–5
Win	3–1	Dec 2012	ITF Bangkok, Thailand (2)	10,000	Hard	Wen Xin	Huỳnh Phương Đài Trang Li Yihong	6–0, 6–3
Loss	3–2	Mar 2013	ITF Sydney, Australia	10,000	Hard	Tamara Čurović	Misa Eguchi Mari Tanaka	6–4, 5–7, [8–10]
Win	4–2	Jun 2014	ITF Xi'an, China	50,000	Hard	Lu Jiajing	Liang Chen Yang Zhaoxuan	6–3, 7–6(2)
Loss	4–3	Feb 2015	ITF Launceston, Australia	50,000	Hard	Yang Zhaoxuan	Han Xinyun Junri Namigata	4–6, 6–3, [6–10]
Win	5–3	May 2015	ITF Gifu, Japan	75,000	Hard	Xu Yifan	An-Sophie Mestach Emily Webley-Smith	6–2, 6–3
Loss	5–4	Apr 2016	ITF Shenzhen, China	50,000	Hard	Liang Chen	Shuko Aoyama Makoto Ninomiya	6–7(5), 4–6
Win	6–4	May 2016	ITF Anning, China	100,000	Clay	Zhang Kailin	Varatchaya Wongteanchai Yang Zhaoxuan	6–7(3), 7–6(2), [10–1]
Loss	6–5	Feb 2023	bgcolor=lightblue	ITF Swan Hill, Australia	bgcolor=lightblue	25,000	Grass	Liang En-shuo	Lily Fairclough Olivia Gadecki	3–6, 3–6
Win	7–5	May 2023	ITF Kurume, Japan	60,000	Carpet	Talia Gibson	Funa Kozaki Junri Namigata	6–3, 6–3

Head-to-head record

Top 10 wins

	Player	Rank	Event	Surface		Score
2019
1.	Elina Svitolina	No. 5	Miami Open, US	Hard	2R	6–2, 6–4	No. 50
2023
2.	Caroline Garcia	No. 7	US Open	Hard	1R	6–4, 6–1	No. 114
2024
3.	Maria Sakkari	No. 9	US Open	Hard	1R	6–2, ret.	No. 80

Double bagel matches (6–0, 6–0)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Yafan Wang . Tennis World . 9 October 2019.
2. Web site: Shenzen Open 2014. Women's Tennis Association. 30 December 2013.
3. Web site: Stosur shocked in Guangzhou. Tennis Australia. 16 September 2014. 10 October 2014.
4. Web site: Guangzhou International Women's Open 2014. Women's Tennis Association. 10 October 2014.
5. Web site: WANG WINS HER FIRST WTA TITLE IN ACAPULCO. 3 March 2019.
6. Web site: Miami Open tennis: Wang Yafan upsets Danielle Collins . .
7. Web site: Wang Yafan, Maria claim WTA 125 titles in Stanford and Barranquilla. Women's Tennis Association. 3 November 2024.
8. Web site: Caroline Garcia falls in first round to No. 114 Wang Yafan a year after US Open semis run. tennis.com .
9. Web site: Rankings Watch: Sabalenka, Gauff-Pegula duo headline historic shakeup. Women's Tennis Association .
10. Web site: How Chinese tennis evolved in the wake of Li Na's exit. Women's Tennis Association .
11. Web site: Australian Open: Wang upsets 22nd seed Cirstea to reach second round. Tennis Majors. 26 September 2024.
12. News: Emma Raducanu out of Australian Open after losing to Wang in marathon. The Guardian. 18 January 2024. Carayol. Tumaini.
13. Web site: Australian Open 2024 results: Emma Raducanu loses to Wang Yafan. BBC Sport. 26 September 2024.
14. Web site: Zheng Qinwen defeats Wang Yafan to reach week 2 at Australian Open. Tennis Majors. 26 September 2024.
15. Web site: Rankings Watch: Zheng makes Top 10 debut; Mertens back to No.1 in doubles .
16. Web site: 2024 Hua Hin; Wang Yafan edges Volynets to make first semifinal since 2019. 2 February 2024. WTATennis.
17. Web site: Wang Edges Volynets for Hua Hin Semifinal Spot. 2 February 2024.
18. Web site: Wang Yafan reaches Round 2 at 2024 US Open after Maria Sakkari retires. 26 August 2024.
19. Web site: US Open: Injured Sakkari out, Wang books spot in second round. Tennis Majors. 26 September 2024.
20. Web site: US Open: Wang cruises into third round, sets up Azarenka clash. Tennis Majors. 26 September 2024.
21. Web site: US Open: Wang stuns Azarenka to reach last 16. Tennis Majors. 26 September 2024.
22. 5 - In defeating Victoria Azarenka at US Open 2024, Yafan Wang has registered her 5th win against top-20 in WTA events and for the first time has two wins against top-20 in the same tournament. Stride. . 1829601728167309492. OptaAce. 30 August 2024.
23. Web site: Badosa bests Wang Yafan at US Open to make second major quarterfinal. Women's Tennis Association. 26 September 2024.
24. Web site: Wang Yafan [CHN] | Australian Open]. ausopen.com.