The Davis Cup clash between China and Portugal kicks off tomorrow, with China assembling its strongest lineup!

On February 5th Beijing time, the 2026 Davis Cup World Group I Play-offs matchups between China and Portugal were revealed. The competition is scheduled for February 6th and 7th at the Nansha International Tennis Center. The format is best-of-five matches, with two singles matches on February 6th, followed by one doubles and two singles matches on February 7th (the last singles match may be omitted if the winner is decided early). The winning team will advance to the World Group I matches held this September.

Team lineups and schedule

Matches start at 12:00 noon on February 6th

Bu Yunchaokete vs. Rosa

Wu Yibing vs. Borges

Matches start at 12:00 noon on February 7th

Zhang Zhizhen / Zhou Yi vs. Borges / Cabral

Bu Yunchaokete vs. Borges

Wu Yibing vs. Rosa

China team roster: Bu Yunchaokete, Wu Yibing, Zhou Yi, Shang Juncheng, Zhang Zhizhen

Captain: Wu Di

Portugal team roster: Nuno Borges, Jaime Faria, Henrique Rosa, Tiago Pereira, Francisco Cabral

Captain: Rui Machado

This competition coincides with the eve of the Spring Festival, and both sides will field their strongest squads. China’s top-ranked players, Bu Yunchaokete and Wu Yibing, will play as the first and second singles respectively. In doubles, Zhang Zhizhen and Zhou Yi will team up for the first time in Davis Cup. Among the five Chinese players, Zhang Zhizhen has the richest experience and most impressive record in doubles, while Zhou Yi boasts solid Davis Cup performances, including scoring two points to help China overturn Slovenia two years ago in the World Group II Play-offs.

First day matchup: Bu Yunchaokete vs. Rosa

First day matchup: Wu Yibing vs. Borges

Except for Zhou Yi, the other four Chinese players participated in this year’s Australian Open, with Wu Yibing and Shang Juncheng both reaching the second round, while Zhang Zhizhen and Bu Yunchaokete exited in the first round. Zhou Yi recently finished runner-up at the Vancouver Challenger last week, showing good form.

Second day matchup: Zhou Yi / Zhang Zhizhen vs. Cabral / Borges

Second day matchup: Bu Yunchaokete vs. Borges

Second day matchup: Wu Yibing vs. Rosa

The visiting Portuguese team is formidable. Their number one singles, Borges, is currently ranked No. 45 globally, having reached a career-high of No. 30, making him the highest-ranked singles player in this event. Second singles Rosa is ranked No. 157 worldwide and notably defeated then-world No. 9 Ruud in the 2024 Davis Cup. Cabral holds a doubles ranking of No. 21 and won the ATP 250 Brisbane doubles title earlier this year partnering with Midler.

Bu Yunchaokete, Wu Yibing, and Borges have faced each other before, with Wu Yibing winning their only encounter at the 2022 US Open second round. Regarding their nearly four-year gap since that match, Wu said: “I played him once at the US Open in 2022, which was quite a while ago, and we haven’t had a chance to meet since. It’s an honor to represent my country in the Davis Cup, and facing such a strong opponent, as the lower-ranked player, I aim to perform at my best and win this match.” Bu Yunchaokete has lost all three previous encounters against Portugal’s top player, most recently a heartbreaking tiebreak loss in the final set at last year’s Hong Kong tournament first round. Bu Yunchaokete and Wu Yibing have no prior matches against Rosa.

China fields its strongest lineup

At yesterday’s pre-match press conference, captain Wu Di shared the team’s preparation status, emphasizing how rare it is to have China’s top male players gathered together, and expressed hope for excellent performances: “Our preparation has gone smoothly these days, with players gradually arriving for adaptation training. The players know each other well. Opportunities to assemble such a strong team are scarce, and everyone enjoys the collective pride that the Davis Cup brings. Although our lineup is strong, we will approach the matches with the highest standards and hope the players showcase their best form.”

Playing at home, China is fully preparing and looks forward to delivering an inspiring Lunar New Year gift to Chinese tennis fans amid their enthusiastic support. A victory here would mark China’s first-ever qualification for the World Group I since the Davis Cup format change, writing a new chapter in the history of Chinese tennis.

(Text and editing by Wang Fei, photos by Juntai Sports)