Beijing Open sets up Wang-Dennehy rematch as top Asia showdown

The Beijing Open arrives with a rare mix of rivalry, ranking pressure and regional stakes, and the women’s draw already has the sport talking. Chao Yi Wang and Sahra Dennehy were placed on a collision course for the June 17-21 event at the National Tennis Centre, with Wang seeded first and Dennehy seeded second in women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. That setup gives Beijing the feel of a possible triple-crown chase, while also carrying the edge of revenge after Dennehy beat Wang 11-7, 11-2 at the Hangzhou Open in their last meeting on Chinese soil.

The timing makes the matchup even bigger. PPA Tour Asia says the Beijing Open is its first stop in China’s capital and puts 500 ranking points on the line, a haul that can reshape the season standings in a hurry. Beijing municipal officials said ticket sales opened at 10:00 on May 26, and free admission was offered on June 17 and 18 for grandstand seats at the Capital Diamond Court and the outer courts. The tournament is expected to draw professional players from more than 30 countries and regions, turning the week into a cross-border measuring stick for Asia’s fastest-moving pickleball powers.

Wang enters Beijing with more than just top seeding. Beijing officials described her as Asia’s top female pickleball player and said she is ranked No. 7 in the world in women’s singles, adding weight to every match she plays at home. The deeper women’s field only sharpens the pressure. Yufei Long, who won four women’s singles gold medals in 2025, has had a quieter 2026 with only one podium finish, while Lingwei Kong has surged since her debut at the Macao Open and is already seeded inside the top five in all three events. PPA Tour Asia’s rankings also show Long leading the medal ladder with 13 total medals, a marker that underlines how much Beijing could rearrange the elite order.

The men’s draw has its own fresh storyline. Zane Ford will make his PPA Tour Asia debut as the No. 1 seed in men’s singles after taking bronze at the PPA Finals 500 in the United States last month, and Vietnam’s Hien Truong looms as his biggest threat after winning in Kuala Lumpur in May. In men’s doubles, Jack Wong Hong-Kit and Eunggwon Kim lead the bracket while still chasing their first gold together after collecting five medals, including one silver and four bronze. PPA Tour Asia’s rankings place Ford inside the men’s singles top 10, giving his Beijing debut immediate credibility.

Set inside Beijing’s Olympic Green, the National Tennis Centre was built for the 2008 Olympics, and that backdrop gives the event a sharper symbolic edge. The Beijing Open is not just another stop on the calendar. It is a high-profile test of who is setting the pace for the rest of the PPA Tour Asia season.