Shenzhen Open

History of Shenzhen Open Tennis

2013: The inaugural women’s tournament

The women’s Shenzhen Open began in 2013 as a professional women’s tennis event in Shenzhen, China. It formed part of the WTA Tour’s International-level category, the classification used for many established tour events before the WTA introduced its current 250, 500 and 1000 tournament naming system in 2021. The inaugural edition was held from 30 December 2012 to 5 January 2013, with matches extending into the new year. The tournament used outdoor hard courts and featured singles and doubles competitions. Its launch gave Shenzhen a place on the international women’s tennis calendar at a time when the sport was gaining increasing attention in China.

China’s Li Na won the inaugural singles title, defeating Czech player Klára Zakopalová 6–3, 1–6, 7–5 in the final. The result was notable because Li was already one of the leading figures in Asian tennis and would go on to make history at the Grand Slam level. Her victory helped provide the new event with an immediately recognisable champion. In doubles, Latisha Chan and Chan Hao-ching of Taiwan won the title. The first edition therefore established a pattern that continued through subsequent years: an international field, a hard-court setting and a combination of singles and doubles competition.

2014: Li Na wins again

The second edition took place across the turn of the year, from 30 December 2013 to 4 January 2014. Li Na successfully defended her singles crown, defeating compatriot Peng Shuai 6–4, 7–5 in an all-Chinese final. The victory made Li the tournament’s first two-time singles champion and gave the Shenzhen Open another high-profile result. Her success was especially significant in the context of her wider career: in January 2014, she won the Australian Open women’s singles title, becoming the first Asian player to win the Australian Open singles championship. That achievement further increased international interest in Chinese tennis.

The 2014 Shenzhen tournament was also recorded by the International Tennis Federation as the Shenzhen Gemdale Kaisa Open. Its fact sheet lists a $500,000 prize-money figure for the women’s event, reflecting the tournament’s status and commercial backing at the time. The competition continued to feature outdoor hard courts and an international draw. With two successful editions behind it, Shenzhen had begun building a recognisable early-season tennis identity.

2015: Simona Halep becomes champion

In 2015, Romanian player Simona Halep won the women’s singles title by defeating Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky 6–2, 6–2. Halep was establishing herself as one of the strongest players on the WTA Tour, and the Shenzhen title added another achievement to her growing record. Her game combined exceptional movement, consistency from the baseline and the ability to redirect opponents’ power. These qualities suited the demands of hard-court tennis, where disciplined defence can be just as important as attacking shot-making.

The doubles title went to Ukrainian sisters Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok. Their victory demonstrated the importance of doubles specialists within the event and helped maintain a competitive programme beyond the singles draw. The tournament was now attracting champions from different tennis nations, reinforcing its international character.

2016: Agnieszka Radwańska claims the title

Poland’s Agnieszka Radwańska won the 2016 singles championship, defeating American Alison Riske 6–3, 6–2. Radwańska was renowned for her anticipation, court coverage, touch and tactical creativity. Rather than relying solely on raw power, she excelled at changing direction, using angles and forcing opponents into awkward positions. Her victory provided a useful example of how different playing styles could succeed on the Shenzhen hard courts.

Romanian Monica Niculescu and American Vania King won the doubles title. The tournament continued its early-January scheduling, with the 2016 edition running from 3 to 9 January. Radwańska’s triumph added another established international star to the Shenzhen Open’s growing list of singles champions.

2017: Kateřina Siniaková wins an all-Chinese final is avoided

The 2017 singles title went to Czech player Kateřina Siniaková, who defeated Alison Riske 6–3, 6–4. Riske reached the final for a second consecutive year but was unable to take the last step to the championship. Siniaková’s win added a new name to the singles honour roll and highlighted the competitive depth of the tournament. In doubles, Andrea Sestini Hlaváčková and Peng Shuai captured the title, combining Czech and Chinese experience in a successful partnership.

The 2017 edition was held from 1 to 7 January. That year, the tournament also sat within a broader landscape of professional tennis in Shenzhen: the city would later host a men’s ATP Tour event, giving it a presence in both the men’s and women’s international calendars, although the two competitions had different schedules and histories.

2018: Simona Halep wins her second Shenzhen title

Simona Halep returned to the top of the Shenzhen singles draw in 2018, defeating defending champion Kateřina Siniaková 6–1, 2–6, 6–0. The scoreline tells a story of dramatic momentum shifts. Halep dominated the opening set, lost control in the second and then produced a decisive response in the third. Winning the final without dropping a game in the deciding set demonstrated her ability to reset tactically and mentally after a setback.

The title was Halep’s second Shenzhen singles championship, following her 2015 victory. Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu and Halep also won the doubles title, making Halep a double champion at the 2018 edition. The event ran from 31 December 2017 to 6 January 2018. Its scheduling once again placed the final stages in the first week of the calendar year, close to the opening Grand Slam of the season.

2019: Aryna Sabalenka wins a dramatic final

The 2019 Shenzhen Open singles title was won by Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated American Alison Riske 4–6, 7–6(7–2), 6–3. Riske took the opening set, and Sabalenka then faced the prospect of losing the final unless she could turn the match around. She won the second-set tie-break convincingly and carried that momentum into the deciding set. The victory was a clear demonstration of her aggressive baseline style and competitive resilience.

The women’s tournament began on 30 December 2018 and finished on 5 January 2019. It featured a strong field that included Maria Sharapova, Caroline Garcia, Jelena Ostapenko and other established tour players. Sabalenka’s win helped strengthen her reputation as a dangerous hard-court competitor. In doubles, Peng Shuai and Yang Zhaoxuan won the championship, adding another Chinese success to the event’s history.

2019: Shenzhen also hosts men’s ATP tennis

Shenzhen’s professional tennis history also includes a men’s ATP Tour event. The ATP Shenzhen tournament was held from 11 to 17 March 2019, as recorded by the ATP Tour. It was a separate competition from the women’s Shenzhen Open, with its own draw, schedule and tournament details. The men’s event had previously been staged as part of the ATP Tour calendar, helping broaden Shenzhen’s profile as an international tennis host city. The ATP’s tournament overview identifies Shenzhen, China, as the location and records the March dates for the 2019 edition.

This distinction matters when researching the Shenzhen Open: the women’s event was traditionally played around the turn of the year, whereas the men’s ATP tournament took place in March in 2019. The name Shenzhen Open can therefore refer to different professional events depending on the year and tour. Accurate historical coverage should identify whether it is discussing the WTA women’s tournament or the men’s ATP competition rather than treating them as one continuous championship.

2020: Ekaterina Alexandrova wins the final women’s edition

The 2020 women’s Shenzhen Open singles title went to Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, who defeated Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 6–2, 6–4 in the final. Alexandrova’s victory was the first Shenzhen singles title of her career and added her name to a roll of honour that included Li Na, Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwańska and Aryna Sabalenka. Rybakina, meanwhile, was emerging as a formidable competitor on the international circuit, making the final a meeting between an established tour player and a rapidly rising talent.

The 2020 event ran from 5 to 11 January. The doubles title was won by Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková, a Czech pairing with considerable success on the doubles circuit. The tournament’s official historical records list Alexandrova as the 2020 singles champion and Krejčíková and Siniaková as the doubles winners.

The Shenzhen Open’s legacy

Across its women’s editions from 2013 to 2020, the Shenzhen Open produced a varied list of champions and several memorable finals. Li Na won the first two singles titles, Simona Halep won twice, and Radwańska, Siniaková, Sabalenka and Alexandrova each claimed one. The event also provided a platform for doubles specialists and local favourites, including Peng Shuai and Yang Zhaoxuan. Its outdoor hard courts, early-season timing and international player fields gave it a distinctive place in the WTA calendar.

The women’s Shenzhen Open’s final edition was held in January 2020. It did not return as a regular WTA Tour event in the following years, and it should not be described as an active annual tournament without confirmation of a new edition. Shenzhen’s wider association with professional tennis nevertheless remains part of the sport’s history in China, with the city having hosted both women’s WTA competition and a separate men’s ATP event.

For tennis fans researching the Shenzhen Open, the most important takeaway is its contribution to the international tennis landscape during the 2010s and the beginning of 2020. The tournament brought leading players to southern China, produced champions who went on to achieve success elsewhere and created a record of competitive matches that remains worth revisiting. From Li Na’s back-to-back titles to Sabalenka’s three-set comeback and Alexandrova’s final championship, the Shenzhen Open’s history is a reminder that a tournament’s lasting appeal is built not just on its longevity, but on the players and matches that make it memorable.