Playing in qualifying for the first time since the Adelaide International 2 in January 2023, former world No. 4 Zheng Qinwen suffered a 6-3 6-4 first round defeat to Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
Now down to No. 123 in the rankings, Zheng had officially dropped out of the Top 100 following her first-round loss at Roland Garros. The 2024 Australian Open runner-up neither made the National Bank Open main draw directly nor received a wildcard, forcing her into qualifying. However, her campaign ended at the first hurdle.
As Jimmie48‘s photos from Toronto show, Zheng was backed by passionate fans holding “QueenWen” and “Let’s Go” banners. But despite the support, the Chinese player’s struggles have now reached a new low. The 23-year-old failed to earn a single break point against Tararudee, who won 93% of points behind her first serve.
Following major elbow surgery after Wimbledon in July 2025, Zheng made a brief return at the China Open in late September, but retired from her second match and ended her season to focus on recovery. She returned to competition at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha in February 2026, where she reached the round of 16 as the world No. 26. With the season progressing, Zheng’s ranking continued to slide, dropping as low as No. 160 during the grass-court swing in June.
