The 2025 China Open officially kicked off on Sept. 23 with an opening ceremony that celebrated the past, present and future of tennis in China and featured famous Chinese players, sponsors, tournament leaders and government officials.
The festivities, held in the Diamond Court at the National Tennis Center in Beijing, began with an introduction from host Shao Shengyi from China Media Group. A short promotional video for the China Open was shown before Zhang Zhengye, Senior Executive Vice President of Beijing Benz Automotive Co., Ltd., made a short speech in support of the future of Chinese tennis. Beijing Benz Automotive is the top sponsor of the China Open.
Shengyi next introduced Tong Lixin, Zhang Jiaming, Lü Yitao, and Sima Hong, members of the China Open Organizing Committee. Hong, who is also Vice Mayor of Beijing, officially announced the opening, and the four pressed a device to light up the ceremonial ball, which took the image of a tennis ball and began opening the roof.
As the roof opened on the Diamond Court, 16-year-old player Shou Yushan and a representative of the ball kids carried the 2025 trophies onto the court. This began the first of the “three swings,” which symbolize the past, present, and future of Chinese tennis.
A short documentary opened each section. The first showcased Chinese tennis two decades ago and included players Li Ting and Sun Tiantian, who competed in women’s doubles in the 2004 Athens Olympics and became the first Chinese tennis players to bring home a Gold medal. The two players then entered the court.
They were followed onto the court by the first Grand Slam winners for China, Zheng Jie and Yan Zi, and others who had been involved in Chinese tennis back in 2004. All four famous athletes played in an exhibition doubles match, and China Open Co-tournament Director Lars Graff made an appearance as the chair umpire.
After the match, the current generation of players were introduced as the “second swing.” Zhang Shuai, Bu Yuchaokete, Wang Xinyu and Shang Juncheng took to the court for a second exhibition doubles match. The event was filled with tweeners and pranks, encouraged by shouts from the audience.
Cheers grew louder with each group of players, coming to its peak during the “third swing.” Zheng Qinwen, China’s queen of tennis, appeared on the court with a group of 10 elementary school students. The World No. 9 player participated in a training game with the students, feeding balls as the students attempted to hit the balls into souvenirs placed on the court.
After the game, Qinwen answered questions from the students. When asked about nerves when competing in front of crowds, she said it was a good question.
“I also felt nervous when I first started playing,” she said. “Remember that the crowds are there to cheer for you, just treat them as if they don’t exist and focus on your own game.”
She acknowledged it can be difficult at first, but said experience makes it easier. “When you’re nervous, you may find yourself breathing heavily, almost unable to catch your breath, and making easy mistakes,” she said. “That’s why you need to focus on every stroke, every point, and stay concentrated on the present moment.”
The ceremony highlighted how the sport now spans three generations in China. It came to a close with current players hitting balls into the audience as souvenirs amid loud cheering.
— Reporting by Mia Fleischer, Miaomiao Huang and Connor Greene
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