Currently ranked 36 in the world, Chinese tennis pro Zheng Saisai received the one and only wild card into the 2019 WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, which opens at Hengqin International Tennis Center on Tuesday, Oct 22.

For Zheng, 2019 has been a year of harvest and breakthroughs. She won second place in the women's doubles at the French Open partnering with Duan Yingying, her personal best performance at any Grand Slam. That result built up her confidence and contributed to a comeback from injury.

Zheng Saisai [Photo by Zhu Xi / Zhuhai Daily]

Notably, Zheng won her first WTA tournament title in San Jose in August by defeating Belarusian ace Aryna Sabalenka. This lifted her world ranking back to a career high 38, and made her the second Chinese women tennis player to win a top world title after Li Na.

A familiar face in Zhuhai, Zheng took the first wildcard of the inaugural WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai in 2015 and second prize in the 2017 Zhuhai Open. She comes from Shaanxi.