Wangbledon! China has its first Grand Slam wheelchair singles champion
There was going to be a slice of history whoever triumphed, but the day belonged to Wang Ziying as she became the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam wheelchair singles title following her Wimbledon triumph.
Wang, who is ranked No. 4 in the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour Rankings, was in clinical form as she defeated Yui Kamiji of Japan 6-3 6-3 in the women’s singles final at the Wimbledon Wheelchair Championships.
The 26-year-old is developing a reputation for being a trailblazer after she and Li Xiaohui won the women’s doubles at this year’s Australian Open to become the first Chinese players to win a Grand Slam title in wheelchair tennis.
It was a phenomenal effort from Wang today, who turned a gruesome-looking 1-8 win-loss record against Kamiji on its head, while she also suffered a 7-5 6-2 defeat to the world No. 1 at the British Open last week.
“My heart is filled with excitement, and I am very emotional,” Wang told itftennis.com. “I still feel like I’m playing the match, but I’m very happy to win. This is a breakthrough in Chinese history and for our sport. It’s unbelievable.
“To be the first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles title is not just my own achievement. It also belongs to my teammate Li and my coaches because Li and my coaches have been supporting me throughout the tournament.
“For me to win today, it’s a collective victory. Before the match, my backhand was not that good and I was worried that I would not be able to perform well.
“When I went to the dressing room, I spoke to Li and Zheng Jie [former Wimbledon doubles champion who was playing the mixed invitational doubles]. Zheng gave me some advice to calm me down.
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“She told me, ‘To be in the final, you are already a champion regardless of whether you win or lose. There is no need to doubt that you will not perform to a high level. You need to focus on your strengths and not worry about your weaknesses’.
“This advice made me not doubt myself and helped me regroup very quickly when I made errors.”
Victory is a major moment for Chinese wheelchair tennis, with Wang just the second player from China to reach a Grand Slam wheelchair singles final after Zhu Zhenzhen, who reached last year’s Roland Garros final.
“Winning Wimbledon will hopefully inspire younger Chinese wheelchair tennis players,” said Wang. “It will show that as long as you work hard, you can make your dreams come true.
“It will show them that in this journey to chase your dreams there will be difficulties but, as long as you are persistent, you will be successful.”
While ecstasy for Wang, it was agony for Kamiji who was bidding to claim her first women’s wheelchair singles title at Wimbledon and, in the process, seal a career Golden Slam.
The Wimbledon singles crown remains the only Grand Slam title missing from Kamiji’s stellar Grand Slam collection across singles and doubles, but her wait to join one of the most exclusive clubs in wheelchair tennis goes on.
As a reminder, the career Golden Slam constitutes titles at all four Grand Slams – Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open – together with a gold medal at the Paralympic Games.
Kamiji was bidding to join a list that features Dylan Alcott, Diede de Groot and Shingo Kunieda as the fourth player to complete the career Golden Slam in wheelchair tennis singles. She is already the proud owner of a career Golden Slam in doubles.
The wait for wheelchair tennis immortality, however, goes on.
A full list of results from the 2025 Wimbledon Wheelchair Championships can be accessed here