One of the most exciting storylines at United Cup 2024 is the qualification of Team China, one of five countries debuting at the prestigious mixed-teams event.
The Chinese squad will be led by two rapidly-rising stars, Zheng Qinwen and Zhang Zhizhen, both growing as celebrities in their homeland.
In a memorable September weekend, they won singles gold medals for China at the Asian Games, a confidence boost to storm home in the final part of the season.
Zheng and Zhang will arrive in Perth with momentum for their opening match against Team Czech Republic, set for RAC Arena on Saturday 30 December.
China has also landed in Group E with Team Serbia, led by world No.1 Novak Djokovic.
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Aged 21 and 27 respectively, Zheng and Zhang lead the rise of a talented new Chinese generation, undoubtedly a legacy of Li Na’s historic achievements a decade – and more – earlier.
And there are plenty of parallels between them as they reignite tennis interest in China.
Zheng is the highest-ranked of six Chinese women in the top 100, with a seventh – Wang Yafan – just outside at world No.101.
Zhang is currently the only man inside the ATP top 100, but was joined for a significant stint in 2023 by Wu Yibing, while exciting teenager Shang Juncheng cracked the top 150. This Chinese trio have raised hope the country’s male players may begin emulating the ongoing success of China’s WTA players.
The most successful of those women in the past few years is Zheng, who ended 2023 at world No.15 (a career-high) and by being nominated for the WTA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award.
She soared to stardom with her US Open quarterfinal run and later won her first title on home soil at Zhengzhou.
She won 20 of her final 26 matches of the season, coming extremely close to the WTA Elite Trophy title in Zhuhai before falling in a glorious battle to Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Nevertheless, she brought fans to their feet with this jaw-dropping effort – the latest in her canon of hot-shot highlights.
Zheng, who has graced magazine covers in China and has a growing endorsement portfolio, appears on the cusp of becoming a Chinese sporting icon like her idol, Li.
When she appears on court in Australia at the United Cup, it will be almost exactly 10 years after Li’s Australian Open triumph – the zenith of Li’s career which helped boost her to world No.2.
No Chinese player since has risen higher than No.12 (Wang Qiang, September 2019) but some experts are predicting Zheng could better that.
Her emergence has captivated fans, many of whom refer to her as ‘Queenwen’, a play on her first name. And she embraces it.
“Especially, I love, Queenwen, this name. Come on, it’s ‘queen’!” she laughed in New York after becoming the youngest Chinese Grand Slam quarterfinalist in the Open Era.
Her United Cup partner Zhang is a similarly magnetic presence, and has the equally-cool nickname ‘ZZZ’.
He too shot up the rankings in 2023, doing so by creating a number of firsts for Chinese men’s tennis.
Already the first Chinese man to crack the top 100, he became the first Chinese player to reach an ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal, in Madrid. At the US Open he was the first Chinese man to beat a top-five player – world No.5 Casper Ruud – en route to the third round, then progressed to the fourth round at the Shanghai Masters, the deepest run there ever by a Chinese player.
These performances have seen Zhang’s star soar in China; he was featured across the city on billboards and in Shanghai tournament promotions.
"Everyone saw me and was like 'man, you're everywhere!'" he laughed.
After beginning 2023 at world No.99, he practically halved his ranking, peaking at 52nd in July.
Powerfully built and with an aggressive, athletic approach to the game, 193cm-tall Zhang will be joined by a teammate in Zheng who possesses a forehand so heavy its speed and spin approach the ATP average.
Together, they stand to electrify the competition and could prove a handful for the Serbian and Czech teams when United Cup action kicks off in Perth next month.
