After fifteen days of competition in Flushing, the event is drawing to a close, with New York once again witnessing champions being crowned and legends made. Chinese wheelchair tennis player Li Xiaohui emerged as the furthest-advancing Chinese athlete in this tournament—using her wheelchair as her “battle shoes” and racket as her “weapon,” she claimed one title and one runner-up in singles and doubles respectively, setting a new best record for Chinese wheelchair tennis at this event.

In singles, Li Xiaohui entered as the tournament’s third seed and defeated Griffioen, Zhu Zhenzhen, and Van Koot to reach the final. Although she narrowly lost in a three-set battle to world No. 1 Yui Kamiji, the runner-up finish affirmed her resilience and fighting spirit throughout the competition. Having fallen short in the singles semifinals of the first three major tournaments this year, reaching the final in Flushing marked a breakthrough for her. She openly stated her next goal is to fight for the championship!

In doubles, the pairing of Li Xiaohui and Wang Ziying became the most eye-catching duo on the wheelchair tennis circuit this year. As the second seeds, they won all three matches without dropping a set and overcame a 1-5 deficit in the second set of the final to clinch the title with a straight-sets victory of 6-4, 7-6(4) over Zhu Zhenzhen and De Groot.

This victory marked the third major championship title for Li Xiaohui and Wang Ziying since they teamed up, continuing their dominance in big tournaments this season. Earlier in Melbourne, they secured China’s first major wheelchair women’s doubles crown; in July at Wimbledon, they made history again by winning; now, with the Flushing title added, their season record stands at an impressive 11 wins and 1 loss, capturing 3 titles and 1 runner-up.

In a post-match interview, Li Xiaohui mentioned that timely communication with her partner helped ease her frustration when trailing in the second set. Holding on to the score and turning the match around brought them great joy. Reflecting on their achievements this year, Li Xiaohui said although Roland Garros was a regret, they are confident about coming back next year to claim the title: “(Three titles and one runner-up) is okay, but a bit short (laughs), winning four would be even better.”

Li Xiaohui’s aggressive baseline style is a defining feature and a key scoring weapon in both singles and doubles. She chooses to play with the YONEX EZONE 100 racket strung with POLYTOUR STRIKE 120 strings. This racket with a large sweet spot enhances her shot precision, delivers stronger power and feedback, allowing her to unleash her attacking strength fully and conquer tough opponents to reach the top.

Her outstanding performance this season has strengthened Li Xiaohui’s goals: to win a major singles title and to capture all four Grand Slam doubles championships. Starting wheelchair tennis at age 13 and advancing to the national team, she has continuously honed her mindset and skills with courage and confidence. Together with her teammates, she will keep pushing forward to carry the future of Chinese wheelchair tennis onward and upward.

(Text and editing: Dato, Photos: Visual China)