The head of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has confirmed that no events will take place in China for the second season in a row amid concerns surrounding two-time Grand Slam champion Peng Shaui.

Steve Simon says he is still working with relevant officials to find a resolution to the case. Last year the WTA pulled their events from China following allegations that Shuai is being censored by authorities after accusing a former government official of sexual assault. In a lengthy post on Weibo the tennis star said she had an on and off relationship with Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli, who has never publicly responded to the allegations. The post was deleted within an hour of publication and subsequent restrictions were placed on Shuai’s Weibo account. Furthermore, news concerning her statement was blocked in China by the state-controlled media.

Shuai disappeared from the public eye for roughly three weeks before photos and videos of her were posted by media or officials with links to the Chinese government. She has spoken with the head of the International Olympic Committee and attended the 2022 winter Olympics earlier this year. However, doubts still remain over how much freedom she has. Last November the WTA believed an email sent to them by Shuai was written under the influence of others.

The WTA lost millions of pounds in broadcasting and sponsorship deals following their decision to suspend events in China, including the year-end Tour Finals. However, Simon told The Tennis Podcast that he remains hopeful that a return to the Asian country could be on the cards next year.

“We remain dedicated to finding a resolution to this,” Simon said.
“We want to find a resolution that Peng can be comfortable with, the Chinese government can be comfortable with, and we can be comfortable with.
“We are not about walking away from China. We have suspended our operations there right now. We will continue to do that until we get to a resolution.
“We will stay resolute. We do hope to be back there in 2023 with the resolution that shows progress was made in the space. That’s a victory for the world if we can accomplish that.”

Shuai announced her retirement from tennis earlier this year during an interview with L’Equipe newspaper. She reached a high of No.1 in the doubles rankings back in 2014 and has been ranked as high as 14th in singles. She has won 25 Tour titles with 23 of those being in doubles.

“We have not had any recent communication with Peng and the world has not seen Peng since the Olympics either,” Simon confirmed.
“I don’t think you will make change in this world by walking away from issues. You have to create change.
“It might not be everything we want. But we have to find a solution that finds that balance that allows us to go back and see progress in the area.”

With the exception of its 125 events, the WTA is yet to confirm their calendar for the final quarter of this season. It is expected that Asian tournaments in Japan and South Korea will go ahead as planned. However, no details have been given about where the WTA Finals will be hosted.

Qualifier Anastasia Potapova won her first WTA Tour title at the TEB BNP Paribas Tenis Championshp Istanbul after her her 6-3 6-1 win over Veronika Kudemertova in 1 hour and 23 minutes. 

Potapova won eight consecutive games and 11 of the last 12 games from 1-3 down in the opening set. Potapova has become her first player to win her first WTA title. She has improved her 2022 win-loss record to 13-8. 

Potapova was a former world junior number 1 and won the 2016 Wimbledon title. She finished runner-up to Olga Danilovic as a 17-year-old player at the 2018 Moscow River Cup and to Margarita Gasparyan in Tashkent in the same year.

Potapova reached her career high of number 64, but she underwent ankle surgery in 2020 and entered the Istanbul tournament outside the top 100. Her win over Kudemertova was her first victory since Dubai 2021, where she beat Madison Keys and Belinda Bencic. 

Kudemertova earned an early break to open a 3-1 lead in the opening set. Potapova broke back in the sixth game to draw level to 3-3 and won the final five games to win the first set 6-3. 

Potapova earned an early break in the first game after four deuces at the start of the second set. The Russian player went up a 3-0 lead with a double break. Kudemertova pulled one of the two breaks back in the fourth game, but Potapova won the final three games with two breaks of serve. Potapova becomes the second qualifier to win a WTA title in 2022 after Tatjana Maria’s title in Bogotà two weeks ago. 

Carlos Alcaraz beat Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 6-2 in one hour and six minutes to win the final at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. Alcaraz lifted his ATP Tour title this season following his triumphs in Rio de Janeiro and at the Miami Open. 

Alcaraz is projected to climb to world number 9 in the ATP Ranking next week. The 18-year-old rising star becomes the youngest player to break into the top 10 since Rafael Nadal won the Barcelona title in 2005. 

Alcaraz needed 3 hous and 40 minutes to beat Alex De Minaur in the longest best-of-three match of the season. Alcaraz saved two match points and had a foot issue that required medical assistance. 

Alcaraz did not face a break point in the final and converted four of his ten break points. 

Alcaraz earned the first break of the match, as Carreno Busta missed a forehand long at 2-2. The 2021 Next Gen Finals champion sealed the first set with a second break on set point after a short backhand from Carreno Busta. Alcaraz broke twice in the sixth and eighth games to seal the second set 6-2. 

Alcaraz made a major breakthrough this year, compared to last year’s edition, when he was ranked world number 119 and lost in the first round against Frances Tiafoe.

Alcaraz is currently tied with Rafael Nadal and Andrey Rublev with the most titles on the ATP Tour this year. 

“It means a lot. I have watched this tournament since I was a kid. I always wished to play in the tournament and of course to be able to win this tournament. I am really happy to be part of the historic Spanish list”, said Alcaraz.