Wang Xinyu continues rise after winning biggest ITF title yet in Spain

Wang Xinyu collected her first title on European soil - and the biggest triumph of her career - after winning on the ITF World Tennis Tour on Spanish soil at W100+H La Bisbal D’Emporda.

The 20-year-old from China battled through four three-setters – including a 3-6 7-6(0) 6-0 triumph over Erika Andreeva in the title match – to win her fifth ITF singles title and first above W25 level.

Wang, who broke into the Top 100 for the first time last November, climbed a further 14 places to a career-high No. 75 in the WTA rankings this week as a result.

Her form in Spain brought an end to a three-match losing streak and could, she will hope, provide the turning point on a challenging season that had brought just six match wins and 10 losses prior to last week.

A former junior world No. 2, Wang came through in the same crop of emerging youngsters as world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who she considers ‘a good friend’ from their junior days, and, though her rise hasn’t been quite as meteoric, she has made excellent progress since.

Wang’s first four titles came at W25 level in Asia – W25 Nonthanburi in 2018, followed by W25 Shenzhen, W25 Hengyang and W25 Tianjin in 2019. The fifth, it seems, was worth the wait.

Wang has been aided in her progression by the Grand Slam Player Development Programme, having been selected – along with 29 other players – for a 2020 Grand Slam Player Grant. The programme helps talented individuals to succeed where finances may have otherwise proved a barrier to their success, and Wang has capitalised on the $25,000 funding that came her way.

“It helped me a lot,” she said of the support last year. “I’m having [to employ] a tennis coach, fitness coach, and physio – it’s a big team – and we were travelling a lot so it helped me a lot. I really appreciate that I got that opportunity.”

Catch up on all the women’s tournament results on the ITF World Tennis Tour last week here.