Chinese player Wang Yafan, sporting a WTA ranking of 80, is one of only three unseeded women in the Round of 16 at the 2024 US Open.
Before she lines up against resurgent Spaniard Paula Badosa on Sunday, here are a few things to know about the veteran underdog:
Wang is upset-minded and hitting career bests.
After 12 years as a professional player, she’s still hitting new heights. Her arrival in Flushing’s fourth round marks the deepest Slam run for the 30 year-old, whose previous best was a third-round berth in Melbourne earlier this year.
It’s been a great run on the 2024 Slam circuit for Wang: it marks the second time that she's reached the main draw of all four majors in the same year, and the first time since 2019.
Wang's road to the Round of 16: a first-round encounter with No. 9 seed and 2021 semifinalist Maria Sakkari, who retired due to a shoulder issue after losing the set, 6-2; a straight-sets win over No. 60 Diane Parry in the second round; and a gritty win over No. 20 Victoria Azarenka, a former world No. 1, two-time Slam champ, and thrice a US Open runner-up.
For Wang, there must be something in the air in New York City—one of the other biggest upsets of her career came during last year’s US Open, when she knocked out No. 7 seed Caroline Garcia in straight sets in the first round, denying the Frenchwoman's bid to repeat her run into the semifinals. In between then and now, Wang’s also beaten some lower-ranked fan favorites like Brit Emma Raducanu and American Sofia Kenin, in Melbourne and Toronto respectively.
She’s taken some time away from the sport.
For a while after COVID hit in 2020, Wang played sparingly—in fact, 2023 was her first full season on the tour in three years. A slew of frustrations, namely strict travel and quarantine restriction, pushed Wang to cut some tournaments from her schedule as the pandemic spread.
"Because of COVID, we have to travel but my husband cannot come with me," Wang said of that time period. "If I play, I would have to stay outside China for one or two years. I also had a little bit injuries. Also, if I go back to China I have to quarantine for 28 days. It's too long for me."
She played only six tournaments in 2020 before deciding to cap her season in March, then also cut her 2021 return short by making Wimbledon her last tournament of that season. And soon enough, a lighter schedule became taking seven months completely off during the 2022 season.
She eventually returned to court when China’s travel restrictions were eased. While she hasn’t been open about what she was up to during her seven month hiatus, the time away helped Wang tweak her mentality.
"If I lost, it's the same life. If I win, it's the same life,” she said last year about her positive perspective shift after the time off. “So I have a better mentality. I try to enjoy tennis, put not too much pressure in tennis. I think this is different for me."
The time off did cause a slide: she ended 2019 at No. 48, and by 2022 was down to No. 412. But she had no intention of staying there. Since the end of her restful 2022 season, Wang has ridden an impressive leaderboard leap up to No. 80, catapulting back up the leaderboard with a well-rested body and new outlook.
She’s supported here in New York.
As anyone who’s been to a match of Wang’s or of compatriot Zheng Qinwen’s knows, fans of the Chinese players are loud and proud here in Flushing, an area which is home to a large part of the city’s Chinese population.
After delivering Azarenka her upset in front of a particularly supportive crowd during last round’s match, Wang felt the love. “I feel like I’m playing at home,” she said on court after the match.
The Chinese fans are a strong support system. At star player Zheng’s match, the Chinese fans could be heard continuously chanting “Jiayou!” which Zheng said roughly translates to “Let’s go!” in English – and that’s just what Wang is readying to do.
