A 15-year-old Chinese girl shines brilliantly at the U.S. Orange Bowl, Zhang Shuai aims for her 50th doubles title today

Even without the tour taking place, celebrations for Chinese tennis keep appearing intermittently in other tournaments this week!

The U.S. Orange Bowl, often called the nursery of future tennis stars, is now fiercely contested, and 15-year-old Chinese player Sun Xinran has delivered uplifting news to all.

Many may not be familiar with this girl born in 2010, but Sun Xinran has long been regarded by many as a promising rising star of Chinese tennis with great potential.

Competing at the U.S. Orange Bowl this time, Sun Xinran faced the 14th seed Marinkovic in the quarterfinals and showed her unique style, allowing the world to truly witness the talent of this Chinese prodigy as she defeated her opponent in straight sets to reach the semifinals.

The public’s excitement over Sun Xinran’s performance is partly because it has been seven long years since such a moment occurred.

In 2018, Zheng Qinwen reached the final of the U.S. Orange Bowl, and although she lost to Gauff, her runner-up finish in the U18 category remains impressive. Over the years, no one at age 15 has managed to reach the Orange Bowl final again, and many can’t even make it to the semifinals.

Therefore, as Sun Xinran advances to the Orange Bowl semifinals in the fiercely competitive junior tennis scene, she becomes the second Chinese player after Zheng Qinwen to achieve such a feat in the U18 category at this event.

After reaching the semifinals, Sun Xinran grew stronger, sweeping the top seed Barros 6-2, 6-3 to enter the final, matching Zheng Qinwen’s best U18 result at the Orange Bowl from seven years ago. If Sun Xinran wins the title, she will make new history for Chinese tennis.

The second piece of good news this week involves 36-year-old Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai.

After an early singles exit, Zhang Shuai’s performance on the doubles court in Limoges has been exactly as many fans and netizens predicted—freed from singles burdens, she has played with complete freedom.

Following a tough three-set quarterfinal victory to reach the semifinals, Zhang and her partner Bouchard faced Ramsden and Hovhannisyan, winning again and boosting their morale.

Looking back at this key match, many fans and netizens jokingly said, “The Shuai sister duo seems to be deliberately testing everyone’s nerves.”

In this match, Zhang’s team was clearly stronger than their opponents. Especially when they led 5-3 in the first set and seemed certain to take it, unexpectedly they lost focus. Not only were they caught up, but they also lost the tiebreak, surprising many.

However, starting from the second set, Zhang’s pair quickly reassured everyone with a commanding 6-1 scoreline, proving the first set loss was just a fluke and that they remained strong contenders.

In the decisive match tiebreak, despite Zhang’s team showing stunning play in the second set, many fans worried they might falter again at this crucial moment and put everyone through another rollercoaster ride.

This time, Zhang’s team performed solidly, maintaining their lead throughout the tiebreak and ultimately winning 10-3 to secure their place in the doubles final.

With Zhang Shuai advancing to the doubles final, Chinese tennis now has a chance to contend for her 50th career doubles title.

If Zhang and her partner Bouchard win the championship, Zhang will close her 2025 season perfectly with two doubles titles. Earlier, Zhang and Townsend claimed the doubles title at the Washington 500 event.

Zhang Shuai’s doubles final in Limoges is scheduled to start at 9 PM Beijing time tonight. Let’s look forward to their performance!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River’s Starry Sky)