The Great Wait: ATP Challenger Tour Returns To China

The ATP Challenger Tour makes its long-awaited return to China this week after a near four-year absence on the calendar.

China is set to host six Challenger events in the next eight weeks, with the Hengqin International Tennis Challenger in Zhuhai kicking off the swing. Zhuhai tournament director Mily Li says it’s rewarding to see world-class players back in action in the Asian country.

“The return means a lot to us. The local fans are super thirsty about watching high-level tennis matches on site, and the local sponsors finally have the opportunity to support some international tennis event,” said Li. “It is also a challenge for the local tennis event operation team, since they haven’t organised this level international event for three years as well.”

The Zhuhai Challenger marks the first tournament at that level in China since October 2019 (Shenzhen). Next month, the ATP Tour will also return to China, starting a four-week swing with the Chengdu Open and ending with the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Although China may have been lacking pro tournaments the past few years, several of their own have been rapidly rising, such as Zhang Zhizhen, who became the first Chinese male to crack the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings last October. The 26-year-old has since climbed as high as World No. 52.

Wu Yibing, 23, made history by becoming the first tour-level titlist from China in February, when he saved four championship points to triumph at the Dallas Open.

#NextGenATP stars Shang Juncheng and Yunchaokete Bu are also finding early success. The 18-year-old Shang became the first man from the Asian nation to win an Australian Open match in the Open Era earlier this year, while the 21-year-old Yunchaokete became the third Chinese player to win an ATP Challenger Tour title aged 21 and under when he captured the Seoul Challenger in April.

The recent surge of Chinese tennis in the men’s game will only inspire more children in their home country to pick up a racquet, adding to the trend Li has seen this past decade in China: more kids interested in tennis.

“The overall tournament numbers are getting larger and larger, and spreading to more cities,” Li said. “More tennis courts are built and you can see more young kids choose tennis as their hobby.

“Take Zhuhai as an example. The first year we did the international event in 2015, there were very few people willing to buy the tickets to watch tennis. This year for our ATP 250 next month, the ticket sales are going well, with the majority of the seats sold out already. I guess this is the best proof of the growing popularity of tennis in China.”

ATP Challenger Tour China Swing: