NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's Wang Xiyu defeated compatriot Zhang Shuai in straight sets to win the women's singles gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games here on Friday, extending China's winning streak in the event to six consecutive editions.
Wang, 25, dominated the opening set, winning all of her first-serve points compared with 50 percent for Zhang. The 37-year-old Zhang, who struggled with unforced errors, was broken twice as Wang took the set 6-2.
Zhang continued to struggle in the second set, holding serve just once as Wang cruised to a 6-1 victory to seal the gold medal.
"Every loss is an opportunity to learn and a chance to become a better player," said Zhang. "Losing to Wang Xiyu is probably the loss that hurts the least. I'm genuinely so happy for her. She is such a kind girl, and even if we weren't playing tennis, we would still be very good friends."
"I'm much older than her, and she treats me like an older sister. We are always talking about how to improve our game," added the veteran.
"Tennis is part of our lives. It's part of who we are. So we are very happy to have the opportunity to compete at the Asian Games alongside our professional careers and win valuable gold and silver medals for our team and our country," Zhang said.
Wang endured a shoulder injury in 2025 that kept her out of competition for nearly six months, sending her ranking tumbling outside the top 200. She was forced to restart her season on the ITF circuit before making a strong comeback at this year's French Open, where she advanced from qualifying to reach the last 16, the best Grand Slam result of her career.
In August, she also reached the round of 16 at a WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati for the first time.
"At first, I was definitely a little disappointed because I had been playing on the WTA Tour for several years, and then I had to work my way back up through ITF tournaments. There was a bit of a gap to overcome," Wang said.
"But they are all competitions. Sometimes, playing in a big tournament doesn't feel all that different from playing in a smaller one. You have to figure out how to face your opponent that day and how to overcome the challenges that come your way. Those are the lessons you have to learn each day.
"By taking it one step at a time and building on each experience, I feel I've learned a lot this year. It has also given me great encouragement for the future. It shows that I'm not afraid to start from zero and that I can get back on my feet after falling down," Wang added.
In the semifinal, Wang came from behind to defeat top-seeded Philippine rising star Alexandra Eala 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
With her victory, Wang also secured a berth in the women's singles event at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Wang said winning the Asian Games title had given her a significant boost in confidence.
"It makes me believe in myself and believe that I'm on the right path. I need to stay committed and keep moving forward. That takes a lot of courage, as well as a willingness to keep trying, learn from different kinds of failures and constantly improve myself," Wang said.
"I think that's very important, not just in tennis but in life as well."
Asked what areas of her game she still needed to improve, Wang said there was plenty of work to do.
"There are still many areas I need to work on, including my physical fitness, refining my technique and becoming mentally stronger. I think all of these are essential for me to become a better player," she said. ■
