Xiyu Wang

Xiyu Wang was a generational junior before she was anything else. She became junior world No. 1 in September 2018, right after winning the US Open girls' singles title, and that same season reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and French Open and the semifinals at Wimbledon. Born in Taixing, Jiangsu, she came up through China's development pipeline — relocating to Beijing at age 12 to join the 1123 Tennis Club, where she refined the aggressive left-handed game that propelled her to junior world No. 1.

The left hand is the calling card. She's a 182 cm lefty with a one-handed backhand — an unusual combination on the women's tour — and her game has evolved from a power-first junior approach into something more tactical, leaning on cross-court serves followed by down-the-line attacks and better point construction. The serve has historically been the engine: across the strong stretches of her career she's posted first-serve win rates in the high 60s and parlayed the lefty delivery into cheap points.

The pro arc has been about converting that pedigree into ranking. Wang won her maiden WTA Tour title in Guangzhou, defeating top seed Magda Linette in the final, the run that lifted her to a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 49 in January 2023. She also reached the final at the ATX Open, beating top seed Anhelina Kalinina in the semifinals before losing to fellow Chinese player Yuan Yue.

The most recent beat is a grind back from outside the top 150. After winning the W75 Lexington title to re-enter the top 150 in August 2025, Wang qualified at the French Open and reached the fourth round of a major for the first time, losing to 18th seed Sorana Cîrstea. Now ranked No. 100, she's again knocking on the door of the tour-level mainstay status her junior résumé always promised.