Nearly three million in prize money! Zhang Shuai becomes the biggest Chinese winner at the Australian Open

Being the opening Grand Slam tournament of the new season, the 2026 Australian Open has come to an end. The finals in each category were rich in both drama and spectacle, making for a truly thrilling event.

In the international arena, on the women's singles side, Lebakina and the current world No.1 Sabalenka fought fiercely over three sets, with Sabalenka winning 2-1 to secure her second Grand Slam championship. Throughout the match, she delivered 18 aces and maintained an impressive 72% success rate on her first serve, continuing the strong form she has shown since the end of last season.

On the men's singles court, the showdown between Djokovic and Alcaraz surprised and delighted fans alike. The veteran and the rising star delivered numerous spectacular shots in the final. Despite losing the first set, Alcaraz won the next three sets consecutively, capturing his first Australian Open men's singles title in his debut final and marking his seventh Grand Slam victory overall. Alcaraz also became the ninth male player to achieve a career Grand Slam, and at 22 years and 272 days old, he is the youngest male player in history to win all four majors.

Meanwhile, although Djokovic missed out on his 25th Grand Slam title, the 38-year-old showed remarkable resilience and fighting spirit at this year’s Australian Open, earning our applause and cheers.

Of course, our main focus today is on the overall performance of the Chinese team. Despite Zheng Qinwen’s withdrawal, the Chinese contingent performed impressively at this Australian Open. On the women’s singles court, Wang Xinyu achieved her best-ever result at the Australian Open by reaching the round of 16 for the first time in her career, earning over 500,000 Australian dollars in prize money from both singles and doubles events.

The biggest surprise for fans was veteran Zhang Shuai, who, after winning the women’s doubles title alongside Mertens, accumulated prize money totaling 607,000 Australian dollars, approximately three million RMB. This doubles title is Zhang Shuai’s third Grand Slam crown in her career.

In the latest world rankings this week, the Chinese female players ranked within the top 100 in singles are Zheng Qinwen at No. 26, Wang Xinyu at No. 33, and Zhang Shuai at No. 82. Comparatively, there are more Chinese players ranked in the top 100 in doubles. Thanks to her Australian Open victory, Zhang Shuai’s doubles ranking has risen to No. 7. The detailed rankings are as follows:

No.7 Zhang Shuai

No.23 Guo Hanyu

No.29 Jiang Xinyu

No.38 Xu Yifan

No.39 Yang Zhaoxuan

No.76 Tang Qianhui

No.90 Yuan Yue

Although the Australian Open has ended, the 2026 season is just beginning for professional players. We look forward to the Chinese team continuing to deliver strong performances in the remaining tournaments this season!(Source: Tennis Home Author: Barbie)